![]() ![]() In October, Forbes reported that ByteDance planned to use TikTok data to surveil certain US citizens. The criticism ramped up earlier this year after a BuzzFeed News report said some US user data has been repeatedly accessed from China, and cited one employee who allegedly said that “everything is seen in China.” TikTok, for its part, has confirmed US user data can be accessed by some employees in China, but the company says that a US-based security team decides who can access US user data from China. US lawmakers have raised concerns about the security of user data and the ability for the company’s Chinese employees to access information about US TikTok users. The disclosure could further inflame the scrutiny TikTok is facing in the United States over national security concerns given its ties to China. Washington moved fast to crack down on TikTok but has made little progress with Big Tech Capitol is seen at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2022. “The individuals involved misused their authority to obtain access to TikTok user data,” TikTok CEO Shou Chew said in his email to employees, according to an excerpt of the email reviewed by CNN. IP addresses can provide information about a user’s location. The personal data accessed from the journalists’ accounts included IP addresses, according to the spokesperson. The employees involved, two based in the United States and two in China, were fired following an investigation conducted on behalf of the company by an outside law firm, the CEOs of TikTok and ByteDance revealed to employees in two separate emails Thursday. TikTok user data from the two journalists, who worked for the Financial Times and BuzzFeed, was accessed while ByteDance employees were investigating potential employee leaks to the press, according to the company. ![]() TikTok parent company ByteDance has fired four employees who improperly accessed the personal data of two journalists on the platform, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter confirmed to CNN Thursday. ![]()
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