TikTok Says Communist China’s Company Employees Can Access U.S. Data

TikTok is a social media viral app that claims its employees who reside in China have access to data from US users.

The New York Times obtained the company’s response to an inquiry from Republican senators in the United States that requested specifics into the data collected from the app.

In a reply letter, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok CEO, wrote that “Employes from outside the US can access TikTok US users data subject to a series robust cybersecurity controls, authorization approval protocols monitored by our US security team,”

Chew clarified that the data required “approval” based on data classification.

Chew said that TikTok uses an internal classification system for data and has an approval process. This allows them to assign levels of access according to the classification. They also require approvals in order access US user data. According to the classified system, the degree of data sensitivity determines which level of approval is required.

The response is the latest in a recent wave of concern brought on by TikTok’s troubling ties to Communist China.

Last year, NewsBusters reported that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, sold a stake to WangTouZhongWen Technology, a Beijing company owned by three state entities in China.

The platform’s privacy policy currently allows it to share unlimited amounts of user data with ByteDance.

“We may share all of the information we collect with a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliate of our corporate group,” TikTok’s policy says. 

The No TikTok on Government Devices Act was reintroduced by Senator Josh Hawley, R-MO in order to prohibit the use of social media on official federal devices.

Hawley said TikTok is “a Trojan horse for the Chinese Communist Party that has no place on government devices—or any American devices, for that matter” in a statement. He added: “TikTok has repeatedly proven itself to be a malicious actor[,]Big Tech, Joe Biden, and Big Tech are unwilling to consider Chinese spying serious. It’s time for Congress to act.”

It is not surprising that TikTok has reduced its data sharing.

“We employ rigorous access controls and a strict approval process overseen by our U.S.-based leadership team, including technologies like encryption and security monitoring to safeguard sensitive user data,” a TikTok spokeswoman told CNBC at the time.

Conservatives under attack Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. Contact us at CensorTrack if you feel your voice has been blocked.Use the contact formHelp us to hold Big Tech responsible.