TikTok whistleblower claims US data privacy efforts are seriously flawed

TikTok's efforts to address US information privateness fears whitethorn person holes. A self-proclaimed whistleblower talking to The Washington Post says the societal network's program to support American users' data, Project Texas, has large flaws. The erstwhile Trust and Safety squad subordinate claims the $1.5 cardinal inaugural volition inactive fto TikTok link to genitor institution ByteDance's Toutiao, a well-known Chinese quality app. That nexus could theoretically let China to entree US data. A genuinely unafraid attack would necessitate a "complete re-engineering" of the service's infrastructure, the ex-employee says.

The staffer besides claims to person met with the offices of Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Mark Warner to sermon the alleged weaknesses. Representatives for some senators acknowledged that meetings had taken place.

We've asked TikTok for comment. Unnamed radical astatine the societal media elephantine archer The Post that the claims are "unfounded," and the Toutiao codification lone amounts to a "naming normal and method relic" that doesn't necktie the app to China. They besides judge that the relocation of US information to Oracle servers undercuts the assertion that Toutiao could impact the US business. The whistleblower was lone employed for fractional a year, and helium supposedly near months earlier Project Texas was finalized. He whitethorn not cognize the afloat picture, successful different words.

TikTok has repeatedly denied cooperating with the Chinese government, and there's nary publically known grounds to that effect. Douyin, the equivalent app disposable wrong China, has wholly abstracted content.

The timing of the purported revelation isn't bully for TikTok. House and Senate bills (Warner co-sponsored the second bill) could pb to nationwide TikTok bans if they go law, and CEO Shou Zi Chew is acceptable to testify earlier the House connected March 23rd to code information and kid information concerns. Politicians are disquieted the Chinese authorities whitethorn usage TikTok to cod information connected Americans and dispersed propaganda, and the study doesn't assistance easiness those fears.