Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has joined a bipartisan group of 22 attorneys general in urging a Tennessee court to enforce its orders that require TikTok to preserve and produce relevant evidence in an ongoing multistate investigation.
The investigation was began in 2022 to determine if TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws and harming the mental health of teenagers.
“When it comes to social media, we’re working to protect our children from content that could prove harmful to their physical or mental health,” said Carr. “With the assistance of our fellow attorneys general, we’re committed to conducting a thorough investigation of TikTok’s practices so we can ensure the rule of law is upheld and our kids are kept safe.”
Numerous states, including Georgia, have issued requests for information related to TikTok’s business practices. As explained in a press release from Carr’s office, “Last year, when TikTok failed to produce the requested information, Georgia and 45 other states filed an amicus brief in support of Tennessee when it sought an enforcement action in state court to compel the company to comply with its requests. The court has twice ordered TikTok to produce responsive documents and witnesses for deposition, but the company has failed to fully comply with these orders.”
The brief argues that TikTok’s refusal to preserve and produce evidence is impeding the multistate investigation. It emphasizes that the court needs to resolve the issue and without a resolution companies will become increasingly emboldened to destroy evidence in an attempt to hinder future investigations.
Carr was joined in filing the brief by the attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.