TikTok is the latest social media platform to come under the scrutiny of US lawmakers as Republican senators and regulators alike argue that the app poses a national security risk.
Guard Nine Republican senators are reporting that TikTok will be exposed this week, following a Buzzfeed report last month that said employees of ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) had access to US users’ personal data from their workplace.
Guard He adds that the Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has urged Apple and Google executives to remove TikTok from their app stores while the matter is pending.
TikTok responded to the senators’ letter and confirmed that the company is working on a deal with the Biden administration that “will fully protect user data and US national security interests,” according to a copy of the letter. .
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew wrote that ByteDance is working with US cloud computing company Oracle on “new advanced data security controls that we hope to complete in the near future.”
The company’s letter said that China-based employees “will have access to the data of TikTok users in the US.” However, it noted that access is subject to “strong cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by a US-based security team.”
TikTok has quickly become one of the largest social networks in the world. In September 2021, it reported 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, a 45 percent increase from the 689 million previously reported in July 2020. Experts estimate the company’s value at $50 to $75 billion.
Source: Deadline
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