Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has joined 45 attorneys general in asking a state court to compel TikTok to comply with an ongoing investigation by producing information as to if the Chinese-controlled company violated consumer protection laws in Georgia and other states.
“When it comes to social media, we must do all we can to protect our children from content that could prove harmful to their physical or mental health,” said Carr. “We know this is a growing concern for Georgia families, and we are committed to conducting a thorough review of all information so we can ensure the rule of law is upheld and our kids are kept safe.”
Last March, Carr joined a nationwide investigation into TikTok for the company allegedly providing and promoting its social media platform to children despite its link to physical and mental health harms. As part of the investigation, states are attempting to review TikTok’s internal communications.
“Despite the request for these communications falling squarely within the investigative authority of the state attorneys general, this latest brief asserts that TikTok has failed to preserve or produce the required documents since March 2022,” a press release from Carr’s office explained. “For example, TikTok recently confirmed that the company chose not to disable a feature that allows employees to designate internal messages on Lark – TikTok’s internal communications platform – for deletion within seven days or less. For those internal Lark messages that have been produced, the company has provided them in a format that is difficult to use and navigate.”
Carr was joined by attorneys general from the following states in filing the brief: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.