Two senators name for FTC probe into TikTok over U.S. information entry

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee chair and prime Republican have referred to as on the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) to analyze social media app TikTok and Chinese language father or mother ByteDance because of “repeated misrepresentations” over its dealing with of U.S. information.

The request on Tuesday from Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Republican Marco Rubio adopted a Buzzfeed report saying the quick video app permitted TikTok engineers and executives in China to repeatedly entry personal information of U.S. customers. The senators stated such entry raised questions over TikTok’s claims to lawmakers and customers that the information was protected.

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“In mild of repeated misrepresentations by TikTok regarding its information safety, information processing, and company governance practices, we urge you to behave promptly on this matter,” the senators wrote FTC Chair Lina Khan.

TikTok stated Tuesday https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/our-approach-to-keeping-us-data-secure that entry to information “is topic to a sequence of sturdy controls, safeguards like encryption for sure information, and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based management/safety workforce.”

The corporate responded to the senators’ letter by reiterating “TikTok has by no means shared U.S. person information with the Chinese language authorities, nor would we if requested.”

The FTC confirmed it had obtained the letter however declined additional remark.

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Final week, TikTok instructed U.S. senators it was engaged on a remaining settlement with the Biden Administration that will “absolutely safeguard person information and U.S. nationwide safety pursuits.”

TikTok acknowledged in a letter Thursday that China-based workers “can have entry to TikTok U.S. person information topic to a sequence of sturdy cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based safety workforce.”

TikTok Chief Government Shou Zi Chew instructed senators it was working with Oracle Corp on “new superior information safety controls that we hope to finalize within the close to future.”

The senators’ letter https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/_cache/information/3/e/3eeb87b3-e9b5-4aa4-8ea1-361a8472ff46/A42795C63518B32671F9ACCF82B1E26A.khan-ssci-tiktok-letter.pdf cited a BuzzFeed information story about leaked inside recordings that stated China-based workers of ByteDance had on the “very least” entry to U.S. information.

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TikTok’s letter Thursday stated hit had not misled Congress about its information and safety controls and practices.

Final month, TikTok stated it had accomplished migrating info on its U.S. customers to servers at Oracle nevertheless it was nonetheless utilizing U.S. and Singapore information facilities for backup.

It has been almost two years since a U.S. nationwide safety panel ordered father or mother firm ByteDance to divest TikTok due to fears that U.S. person information may very well be handed on to China’s communist authorities.

TikTok is among the world’s hottest social media apps, with greater than 1 billion energetic customers globally, and counts the US as its largest market. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Enhancing by Leslie Adler and Christopher Cushing)