This week, the Utah Attorney General’s office, on behalf of the Department of Commerce, Division of Consumer Protection, continued its efforts to hold TikTok accountable for the harms its platform poses to the State’s young people. Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak previously asked Judge Mark Kouris to hold TikTok in contempt because the company had not fully complied with state investigative subpoenas. Judge Kouris found TikTok in contempt in October 2023 and ordered TikTok to purge its violation by complying with the subpoenas by December 1, 2023.
TikTok turned over only some of the required records by the deadline. As a result, Judge Kouris ordered the parties to negotiate the subpoena requests at issue and report back on December 21.
Relatedly, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes filed a lawsuit against TikTok on behalf of the Division of Consumer Protection in October. The suit says TikTok uses algorithms to keep children engaged with the app, potentially exposing them to violent and distressing content with its ‘recommendation engine’ despite public claims of safety. Investigations into other potentially problematic practices remains ongoing.
