BBC journalists urge bosses to cool their TikTok obsession after app spies on reporters

EXCLUSIVE: Senior BBC journalists have urged their bosses to reconsider the British broadcaster’s newfound enthusiasm for TikTok after the Chinese social media giant spied on reporters.

Deadline spoke to several senior BBC officials who were upset by TikTok’s admission last month that it had stalked journalists working for Forbes, BuzzFeed and the Financial Times.

The insiders said TikTok should be considered a security risk by the BBC and questioned whether the platform was the best way to serve the British public, which funds the public broadcaster by paying a license fee.

The BBC said in a statement that it will regularly review its data and security processes related to TikTok. It added that the app is an “essential” part of plans to reach young audiences.

A TikTok source said the company was happy to discuss security issues with BBC journalists and “address any concerns”.

Concerns about TikTok have surfaced as the BBC’s relationship with China has come under scrutiny. A Deadline investigation last month found that BBC StoryWorks, a commercial entity, produced glossy tourism advertising campaigns for Chinese state media. Human rights activists were concerned about the results.

BBC News welcomes TikTok

BBC News was initially reluctant to jump on the TikTok bandwagon, but eventually joined its 1 billion active users and opened an account last March amid growing interest in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Deborah Turnes, the former executive director of NBC News, has joined as chief executive of BBC News and is seen as an outspoken supporter of TikTok. Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, spoke last month of the importance of an “active partnership” with TikTok.

Journalists create custom videos for BBC News’ 766,000 followers, while many use personal TikTok accounts to record their work, sometimes a behind-the-scenes look at the BBC newsroom.

BBC News announced this week that four journalists are being recruited to create a TikTok team within the company’s social news unit. “Growing the BBC News TikTok account to make it the biggest and best globally and in the UK is one of News’ top priorities for 2023,” the post reads.

But senior newsrooms are skeptical amid widespread fears that data stored in China could be accessible to the communist government. A senior staff member said the BBC was willing to put up with “data scraping by the Chinese” to feed their “TikTok obsession”.

The source added that journalists were encouraged to post on TikTok, but some less experienced employees went too far and were arrested by management for sharing behind-the-scenes footage.

“Some have created problems for themselves by putting BBC-branded things in the background,” the insider said. “There is not enough nuance and certainty about what they post.” The BBC declined to comment on the matter.

A second insider said: “There are security concerns and the role of the Chinese is worrying… I’m skeptical but it’s high on the list of priorities for the new boss and chairman.” It doesn’t seem like the best place to reach people who pay a license fee for our broadcasts.”

At the time of the BBC’s investment in TikTok, a third BBC staff member said: “Yes, not the time to uncritically pour resources into a platform.”

TikTok followed journalists

ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, admitted last month that a group of employees illegally obtained data from journalists. By accessing their IP addresses and other information, they tried to determine whether the reporters were in the vicinity of ByteDance employees to track leaks.

Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane said it was a “direct attack” on American press freedom. Matthew Garrahan, the Financial Times news editor, described the incident as “outrageous”.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew admitted the breach of privacy was “unacceptable”. The employees in question, who worked in a Beijing unit at ByteDance, have since left the company.

“We take data security incredibly seriously,” Chew told TikTok employees last month. He pointed to TikTok’s US data security unit, which works to keep US users’ information in America. A similar project is underway in Europe and the United Kingdom, he added.

TikTok’s privacy initiatives and assurances of its independence from the Chinese government have not stopped US and UK lawmakers from cracking down on the social media company. TikTok was banned from federal government devices last month, while the UK Parliament’s account was shut down last year due to security concerns.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The public is increasingly consuming news and entertainment content on mobile devices and our plans must reflect this changing behaviour. TikTok is an essential platform for reaching young people and ensuring that quality, unbiased journalism is available in formats that are relevant to everyone.

“BBC journalism remains independent and free to report impartially on the social media platforms where we publish content. With all third-party platforms, we take all necessary security measures and regularly review our data and security policies and processes.”

TikTok declined to comment.