Employees of the social network were able to get their hands on the personal data of users.
And not just any, since it was data from journalists. Enough to give even more grain to grind to those who fear the influence of TikTok!
Journalists investigating TikTok spied on
Will TikTok’s efforts to show its credentials to the US government suddenly become useless? Currently, the application of short videos seeks to put in place safeguards that would reassure Washington, while new restrictions could be adopted very soon in the United States.
And the new information that is emerging should not make it any easier! Indeed, the media are echoing an internal audit of ByteDance where it is shown that TikTok allegedly spied on journalists. It is in detail three feathers of Forbes, Emily Baker-White, Katharine Schwab and Richard Nieva. This summer, this team had, while working for BuzzFeedshowed that ByteDance employees had repeatedly accessed US user data.
In order to find the origin of the leaks, ByteDance employees then began a covert surveillance campaign during which they used the IP addresses and data of journalists. The goal was to cross them with those of TikTok employees to see if they could have been in the same place.
TikTok pleads good faith
But if this information puts a blow to the application, its management does not disarm. ” The misconduct of certain individuals, who are no longer employed at ByteDance, was a gross abuse of their authority to gain access to user data. This misconduct is unacceptable and inconsistent with our efforts on TikTok to earn the trust of our users. said spokeswoman Hilary McQuaide.
As a result, the head of internal audit Chris Lepitak, head of this secret investigation dubbed “Project Raven”, was fired. On the other side of the Pacific, in China, his superior Song Ye, directly reporting to ByteDance CEO Rubo Liang, meanwhile resigned.
Not enough to convince the members of the American administration. Rather the opposite. As Federal Communications Commission member Brendan Carr, who previously called for TikTok to be banned from Apple and Google’s app stores, puts it: ” This should be the final nail in the coffin of the idea that US officials can trust TikTok. »
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TikTok is THE social network adored by Generation Z. It allows everyone to film themselves to music chosen from the large catalog on offer and to enhance their creations with filters and special effects. The platform is accessible from a web browser or via its dedicated Android and iOS application.
TikTok is THE social network adored by Generation Z. It allows everyone to film themselves to music chosen from the large catalog on offer and to enhance their creations with filters and special effects. The platform is accessible from a web browser or via its dedicated Android and iOS application.
Sources: Forbes, Reuters
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