Calay News
A new whistleblower has come forward with allegations of potential data abuses at TikTok, the popular social media app owned by ByteDance. The whistleblower claims that ByteDance employees can easily access US TikTok data, including user information and private messages.
The allegations were first reported by Axios, which cited a letter from Senator Josh Hawley to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in which he outlined the whistleblower’s claims. According to the letter, the whistleblower alleges that TikTok has “multiple data access portals” that allow employees to view and potentially misuse user data.
The whistleblower claimed that Chinese officials have direct access to TikTok data, including access to users’ locations, messages, and other sensitive information. The whistleblower alleges that this access is granted through the company’s Beijing-based servers.
These allegations have sparked concerns about the security of user data on TikTok, which has faced criticism in the past for its data collection practices. In response to the allegations, Senator Hawley has called for an investigation into TikTok’s data practices and urged the company to provide more transparency about how it handles user data.
ByteDance has responded to the allegations, stating that the company takes user privacy and data security seriously and that it has strict data access controls in place to prevent unauthorized access. The company also stated that it does not share user data with Chinese authorities.
This new whistleblower’s claims come amid growing concerns about Chinese tech companies’ data collection practices and potential ties to the Chinese government. In recent years, several Chinese tech companies, including Huawei and ZTE, have faced scrutiny over their alleged ties to the Chinese government and concerns that their technology could be used for espionage.
As of now, it is unclear whether these allegations are true, but they raise important questions about the security of user data on social media apps like TikTok. In the coming weeks and months, it is likely that we will hear more about this story as it develops and as lawmakers and regulators push for more transparency and accountability from tech companies when it comes to data privacy and security.
