Todd Blanche vows to ‘come after’ bad actors following $400M TikTok settlement

US Attorney General Todd Blanche has defended a $400 million settlement between the Department of Justice and TikTok, calling it a "fair, just and right result" over allegations the platform breached children's privacy laws. Speaking on Fox News, Blanche warned that companies failing to protect children online would be pursued by the department, framing the deal as evidence of the government's commitment to child safety on the internet.

The lawsuit, filed under the Biden administration in 2024, accused TikTok, its parent company ByteDance and affiliated entities of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Under the settlement announced on Friday, TikTok and ByteDance will pay $300 million immediately, with a further $100 million due once a prior consent decree against predecessor company Musical.ly is vacated. The DOJ said TikTok had since introduced age-related controls and stronger parental oversight, changes Blanche said were factored into the settlement terms. TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.