In response to a class action lawsuit in the US, the TikTok decided to pay $92 million on Thursday to 21 lawsuits over alleged violations of privacy. As a spokesperson for the social network wrote to The Verge: “While we disagree with the claims, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we would like to focus our efforts on building a safe and enjoyable experience for the TikTok community.”

This isn't the first time TikTok has decided to pay to avoid privacy lawsuits. In 2019, the company closed a deal in a lawsuit involving child privacy. TikTok also paid $5,7 million that same year to the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that its previous app, Musical.ly, did not require parental or guardian approval to accept children onto the platform.

The current lawsuit against the app alleges that it scans users' faces to determine their ethnicity, gender and age to track users and target them with ads. Another allegation concerns the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which concerns how TikTok transmits private data outside the US.

In addition to paying $92 million, TikTok also said it would avoid engaging in behavior that could compromise users’ privacy, or specify such behavior in its privacy policy. The behaviors the platform has pledged to avoid include storing biometric information, collecting GPS and clipboard data, and storing or sending data from U.S. users to other countries.

TikTok did not respond to The Verge's requests for comment on whether it will change its privacy policy, and a US court has yet to approve the settlement.

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