$92 Million TikTok Settlement Payment and Class Action Lawsuit

 

TikTok Settlement Payment

$92 Million TikTok Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

TikTok is facing the clock after an Illinois federal judge approved a $92 Million USD settlement for its users that filed class-action lawsuits. Anyone that filed to join this class action lawsuit before the deadline will receive a TikTok settlement payment.

TikTok Case over Unlawful Collection of Users' Biometric Data

The settlement case information:

In re: TikTok Inc. Consumer Privacy Litigation, Case No. 1:20-cv-04699, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Illinois federal judge believes that the proposed $92 million USD settlement payment sufficiently resolves the accusations that TikTok was collecting biometric data unlawfully. 

What will people get who filed claims against TikTok?

TikTok users that filed a claim in this $92 Million USD class action settlement will get an equal share in the settlement cash after administrative fees and costs have been taken out.

Who can file a claim, and when is the deadline and hearing date for the TikTok settlement?

People that qualify are considered "class members" and this includes TikTok users who are residents in the United States that used the TikTok app before September 20, 2021. Any class member that is also an Illinois resident may qualify for an increased amount of settlement payment, by as much as six times the amount of someone that is not an Illinois resident.

The deadline for the settlement payment is March 1, 2022. The final approval for this TikTok settlement payment will take place during the hearing currently scheduled on May 18, 2022.

How will I receive my TikTok cash settlement payment?

If you successfully submitted a claim form by the March 1, 2022 deadline, then you should expect to receive your cash payment via PayPal, Venom, a virtual prepaid card, or by a physical check in the mail. Your preferred payment method was provided on the settlement application.

What was the legal issue with TikTok privacy policies?

The litigation against TikTok involved their privacy policies. The claims were that TikTok unlawfully collected users' biometric and personal data in 2021. 

TikTok asserts that users waived their rights in the agreed-upon terms of service, or privacy policies, and have therefore done nothing wrong.

TikTok Privacy Policy Changed

TikTok agreed to stop collecting users' biometric data, geolocation, and GPS data with their app and storing this data outside the U.S. after the $92 million USD settlement payment from the class action lawsuit. TikTok revised its privacy policies.

TikTok was accused of sharing users' biometric data with the Chinese government, while TikTok denied this was taking place.

The class-action lawsuit is against TikTok and its predecessor app, Musical.ly.

Newtown Gun Control Solution: We Need 'Smart' Guns

Gun with dynamic grip recognition technology

The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) received $2 million seven years ago to develop a gun with a biometric locking mechanism that will only work with one owner. The 32 pressure sensors built into the gun's handle will only work with the registered owner grip. The handle recognizes the pattern, and is unlocked. It's called Dynamic Grip Recognition technology.

New York City Children's Choir

In the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy, SNL opened with a Silent Night tribute, featuring the New York City Children's Choir. Tastefully done.

Sandy Hook's elementary school experienced a shooting that forever changed that community, and left lawmakers wondering what they should do.

Before you say that gun control, taking away guns from law-abiding citizens is not a simple solution, and it leaves responsible people without a way to defend themselves.

The Newtown elementary shooter, Adam Lanza, reportedly took his mothers assault gun and handguns registered to his mother.

How do you stop something like this from happening again?

With smarter guns.

Don't take gun rights away from the people. Make the guns smart enough to recognize its owner.

James Bond with gun

In the latest James Bond movie, Q gives James a gun that will only fire when he holds the gun, thanks to high-tech biometric scanner in the gun. Rumors have it that even upcoming Apple products will have tech that locks out un-authorized users from gaining control.

Huffington Post shares this in a recent article:
"In the recent Bond movie, Skyfall, the throwback super agent is equipped with a handgun -- calibrated to his handprint -- that only fires when it is in his grip. In a scene where Bond loses the weapon, his life is saved when his enemy is unable to fire the weapon at him. Similar technology, fingerprint recognition, is available now and is used in many contexts: for example, in the workplace to clock workers in and out, on computers to limit unauthorized access, within door locks to prevent unwanted entry. Apple's recent pursuit of a company that specializes in this technology is fueling speculation that its devices will soon have a fingerprint recognition application to bar unauthorized use. If we will have the ability to limit access to Angry Birds through fingerprint scanning technology, surely we should adapt it to real-life killing machines."

I say: "Don't take guns away from everybody and anybody. Instead, make tougher restrictions to keep guns out of the hands of unauthorized and unstable people. For example, Canada has a 28-day waiting period when registering for a firearm, and two people must vouch for the person buying the gun.

We need to adopt something similar to Canada's requirements. But until then...we need smarter guns.