A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges the app "includes Chinese surveillance software."

Axar.az reports citing CNET that TikTok, known for its quirky 15-second videos, has been illegally and secretly harvesting vast amounts of personally identifiable user data and sending it to China, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in California federal court last week.

The lawsuit also accuses the company and its Chinese parent company ByteDance of taking user content such as draft videos without their consent and having "ambiguous" privacy policies. It raises concerns that data gathered by TikTok could be used to identify, profile and track users in the US. The company is benefiting from this alleged activity because it uses this data to sell targeted ads, the lawsuit alleges.

"TikTok's lighthearted fun comes at a heavy cost," according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday.

TikTok and Hong's lawyers didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.