The FBI and the US Department of Justice are investigating the Chinese company ByteDance for spying on American journalists through its TikTok social media app.
This was reported by Forbes sources familiar with the investigation.
According to the magazine, Department of Justice and prosecutors from the Eastern District of Virginia asked ByteDance for information about attempts by company employees to access information about the whereabouts of journalists and other personal data of users through the TikTok program.
In turn, the FBI, sources told Forbes, conducted several interrogations in connection with surveillance. The departments themselves did not comment on the publication’s information.
In October 2022, Forbes reported that ByteDance was using the TikTok program to spy on some US citizens. In December, an internal investigation by the company confirmed that employees of the social network used account credentials to follow journalists who write about TikTok.
It turned out that the company’s actions affected at least three Forbes journalists and a reporter from The Financial Times. According to ByteDance’s internal correspondence, the company was trying to find out the sources of the alleged media origins among its own employees.
ByteDance said it “strongly condemned” the actions of employees involved in surveillance who no longer work for the company.
Our internal investigation is ongoing and we will cooperate with any official investigations,” ByteDance spokeswoman Jennifer Banks said.
The US suspects ByteDance of collaborating with the Chinese authorities. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States began checking on TikTok. Against this background, the Chinese company has proposed a number of measures under the so-called Project Texas. Among other things, ByteDance has agreed to have the data of US TikTok users stored by the US company Oracle, which will also review the TikTok software.
In December, the US Senate approved a bill to ban government employees from using TikTok on federal government devices. Similar bans on officials have been introduced in the UK and, according to media reports, in New Zealand.
According to Bloomberg, TikTok’s management is considering splitting from ByteDance to address U.S. national security concerns. This option is considered if Project Texas fails.
Source: Racurs
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.