TikTok says some China-based employees can access US user data
TikTok, the viral video-sharing app owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., said certain employees outside the US can access information from American users, stoking further criticism from lawmakers who have raised alarms about the social network’s data-sharing practices.
The company’s admission came in a letter to nine US senators who accused TikTok and its parent of monitoring US citizens and demanded answers on what’s becoming a familiar line of questioning for the company: Do China-based employees have access to US users’ data? What role do those employees play in shaping TikTok’s algorithm? Is any of that information shared with the Chinese government?
Currently, China-based employees who clear a number of internal security protocols can access certain information on TikTok’s US users, including public videos and comments. None of that information is shared with the Chinese government, and it is subject to “robust cybersecurity controls.”
TikTok is shifting its platform to Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, which means the app and the algorithm will be accessed and deployed for US users from domestic data centers.
