Some US Senators believe that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made some 'inaccurate' statements about how the platform handles user data and who exactly has access to it. They believe the extent to which the Chinese have access was misrepresented during the first hearing
Two senators in the United States have requested TikTok to clarify its storage and access practices concerning American user data. They expressed concern over potential misleading or inaccurate statements made by the Chinese-owned social media platform.
Recent news reports have raised questions about how TikTok handles sensitive information. Referring to a Forbes report, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn highlighted the storage of financial details, including Social Security numbers and tax IDs, of US content creators on servers based in China.
Also read: Whistleblower alleges TikTok leaked data of Hong Kong protesters to China
Senators’ letter causing big trouble
Additionally, they referenced a New York Times report from May, which claimed that TikTok employees routinely shared user information, such as driver’s license details of certain American users, on an internal messaging app called Lark.
This information was accessible to employees of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company based in Beijing.
TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek responded to the senators’ letter, stating, “We are reviewing the letter. We remain confident in the accuracy of our testimony and responses to Congress.”
TikTok has previously stated that servers containing US user data are physically located in Virginia and Singapore, where the company’s headquarters are based. However, there is ongoing uncertainty regarding who can access this data and from where.
During a congressional hearing in March, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew mentioned that access to the data was provided to engineers worldwide on an as-needed basis for business purposes. He also acknowledged that certain ByteDance employees still had access to some US user data but clarified that this access would cease once Project Texas, the company’s initiative to separate US user data from China, was completed.
TikTok’s Chinese Ownership keeps on haunting them
Due to its Chinese ownership, the popular social media app TikTok has faced scrutiny from Western governments, some of which have prohibited its use on government devices. Earlier this year, the Biden administration even threatened to ban the platform across the country unless its Chinese owners divested their stakes.
To address concerns raised by US lawmakers, TikTok has emphasized its Project Texas initiative, which involves storing US user data on servers owned and managed by Oracle, a prominent software company. TikTok announced that it had started routing all US user traffic to these servers last year, while also maintaining data backups on its own servers.
TikTok accused of lying, again
CEO Shou Zi Chew stated that the company commenced the deletion of all historical US user data from non-Oracle servers in March, with the process expected to be finalized by the end of this year.
Also read: Surprise, surprise: TikTok lying about Chinese spying, former employee tells US Congress
In the letter sent to TikTok, the senators also pointed out that recent news reports appear to contradict the testimonies provided by another TikTok official regarding the storage location of US user data.
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