China’s ByteDance stated it is condemning the “misguided initiative that seriously violated the company’s Code of Conduct”. The company has been using TikTok data for tracking journalists.
TikTok data accessed for tracking journalists
ByteDance on Friday admitted that the employees of the company used TikTok data improperly for tracking journalists. The tech giant has gone to great lengths to convince both governments and customers in the US that user data is protected and not a threat to national security. The parent company revealed to the AFP that several of its staff accessed data from two journals. It was a part of the firm’s internal probe into leaks of company details to the media.
They hoped to identify a link between staff and a former BuzzFeed journalist and a Financial Times reporter. The journalists previously reported on leaked company content. “None of the employees found to have been involved remained employed by ByteDance,” stated Erich Andersen. Andersen is the general counsel for TikTok’s parent company.
More on the issue
Employees obtained the IP addresses of the journalists for determining if they were in the same location as the ByteDance employee who was suspected of disclosing confidential details. However, the plan failed as the IP addresses only provided approximate locations. Hence, TikTok comes under the spotlight in the US as Congress is working to approve a ban in the US. This week the House of Representatives may also adopt a law banning the use of the app on government devices.