TikTok faces Iowa’s suit over addictive design, Chinese ties

DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa court partially denied TikTok’s motion to dismiss the state’s suit against the social media giant for endangering children through its addictive design and former connection to the Chinese government. The addictiveness claim treats TikTok as the manufacturer of a product, not a publisher, so Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not shield the tech company from suit. The claim alleging TikTok publicly misrepresented its connection to China “is not preempted by the federal government’s primacy in national security matters,” but there is no injunctive relief available to the state on that claim.Read the ruling here.Read our prior coverage of this lawsuit here.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads