Attorney General Hilgers joins 46 states requesting TikTok to comply in ongoing investigation

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Attorney General Hilgers joined 46 states today in asking a state court order to the social media company TikTok, Inc. to fully comply with an ongoing investigation into whether the company has violated consumer protection laws amid the ongoing youth mental health crisis.

The multistate investigation is led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. Multiple state attorneys general are looking to review internal TikTok communications to determine whether the company engaged in deceptive, unfair and unconscionable conduct that harmed the mental health of TikTok users. The attorneys general are particularly focusing on children and teens that have been affected.

Attorneys general said in Monday’s amicus brief TikTok repeatedly and knowingly failed to preserve relevant information and failed to provide internal communications in a useful format. They said TikTok employees use Lark, an instant messaging service, to communicate internally and has failed to preserve communications and provide them in a useable format. TikTok has instead continued to allow employees to send auto-deleting messages over the Lark platform after the start of the investigation and have provided messages to the states in a format that is difficult to use and navigate.

The popular social media platform has had a significant role in the ongoing youth mental health crisis and it is critical that the company produce all relevant internal corporate communications so others can see if the company broke any laws.

Others joining the amicus brief are the attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, 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, as well as the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.