TikTok has assured US senators that it will take the necessary steps to protect and access data from outside the US, including from employees of its parent company, China’s ByteDance Group, as requested by the US government. The letter, originally published by the New York Times and whose content TikTok confirmed to AFP, was sent by the social network to nine Republican senators.
It responds to questions previously raised by elected officials about TikTok data storage and access. In response to requests from US authorities, TikTok said in mid-June that all data related to the platform’s US users is now stored on Oracle Group servers in the United States.
Data available to employees
The social network confirmed, as reported in an article published on BuzzFeed in mid-June, that employees in China had access to this data, but subject to an authorization protocol and security checks. “solid”– he assured. “The Chinese Communist Party has not asked us to share this data.”TikTok claims again. “We have not shared any information related to US users with CCP and will not share it if requested.”.
In addition, group officials explained that while ByteDance engineers can work on the platform’s algorithms, the new protocol ensures, according to TikTok, that they will only be able to do so in Oracle’s computing environment without extracting data from it. The social network is currently under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the government agency that assesses the risks of any foreign investment to US national security.
During his tenure in the White House, Donald Trump was concerned about the platform’s data security and tried to force ByteDance to sell its subsidiary to Oracle. He also issued executive orders banning the service, which Joe Biden rescinded after becoming president of the United States. The current head of state, however, has asked his administration to measure the risks that actually arise from foreign ownership of online websites and apps.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.