Leaked Audio Reveals China Repeatedly Accessed Data Of American TikTok Users
A leaked audio from 80 internal TikTok meetings reveal that engineers working for TikTok's parent company ByteDance had access to virtually everything
Looks like the Indian government may have made the right choice by limiting the circulation of China-based apps in India. Turns out, employees in China were accessing US TikTok user data for quite some time.
A leaked audio from 80 internal TikTok meetings reveal that engineers working for TikTok's parent company ByteDance had access to virtually everything, BuzzFeed reported.
14 statements from nine TikTok employees corroborated such claims. US TikTok employees do not have access to the same data, while those situated in China reportedly had permission to access the same data.
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TikTok US user data available in China
One ByteDance engineer in Beijing is referred to as a "Master Admin," implying their tight control over the flow of data. While it's unclear how long China has had access to US TikTok data, the leaked audio claims that it was available between September 2021 and January 2022.
Why is this worrying? In 2019, TikTok released a statement denouncing the same, claiming that "all TikTok US user data" is stored in the United States. At the same time, TikTok claimed that it "does not operate in China" and has no intention of doing the same.
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Also read: Elon Musk Wants Twitter To Become Less 'Boring' By Imitating TikTok And WeChat
TikTok's twin app Douyin, also developed by ByteDance is available to Chinese users and blocks out international content while enforcing limit on children's usage.
In response to the BuzzFeed report, TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan said the following - "We know we're among the most scrutinized platforms from a security standpoint, and we aim to remove any doubt about the security of US user data. That's why we hire experts in their fields, continually work to validate our security standards, and bring in reputable, independent third parties to test our defenses."
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Also read: Facebook To Lose 1.5 Million Teen Users As Youngsters Migrate To Apps Like TikTok
The company also claimed that it has been working with Oracle for over a year to improve the security of US user data.
What do you think about Chinese employees accessing US TikTok data? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
References
Baker-White, E. (2022, June 20). US TikTok User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed From China, Leaked Audio Shows. BuzzFeed News.
Humphries, M. (2022, June 20). Leaked Audio Reveals China Repeatedly Accessed US TikTok User Data. PCMAG.
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