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TikTok is working on a plan to better safeguard the data of its U.S. users, the company said in an open letter [PDF] to several U.S. Senators that have expressed concern that the China-based app is a national security risk.

tiktok-logo.jpg

Shared by The New York Times, the letter outlines a multi-pronged undertaking called "Project Texas," aimed at strengthening data security. TikTok says that 100 percent of U.S. user data is stored in an Oracle cloud environment located in the U.S., and it is working with Oracle on more advanced data security controls that will be finalized "in the near future."

TikTok is planning to delete U.S. data from its servers and store information with Oracle exclusively. The company says all data sharing outside of the United States will be pursuant to "protocols and terms approved by the U.S. government."
The broad goal for Project Texas is to help build trust with users and key stakeholders by improving our systems and controls, but it is also to make substantive progress toward compliance with a final agreement with the U.S. Government that will fully safeguard user data and U.S. national security interests. We have not spoken publicly about these plans out of respect for the confidentiality of the engagement with the U.S. Government, but circumstances now require that we share some of that information publicly to clear up the errors and misconceptions in the article and some ongoing concerns related to other aspects of our business.
Concerns over TikTok have heightened over the last two weeks following a BuzzFeed News report that suggested TikTok engineers in China had access to the data of U.S. users between September 2021 and January 2022. "Everything is seen in China," said one TikTok employee in recordings reviewed by BuzzFeed, with the recordings also referencing a "Master Admin" engineer in China who "has access to everything."

Given the concerns over U.S. data access, the United States Federal Communications Commission earlier this week asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores because of a "pattern of surreptitious data practices."

TikTok in its letter confirmed that some China-based employees are indeed able to access data from U.S. TikTok users, "subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls" overseen by a U.S.-based security team. TikTok says that it has an internal data classification system and approval process in place that assign levels of access based on the sensitivity of the data. It will work with the Biden Administration going forward to continue to limit data access.

In response to a question on why TikTok does not plan to block all U.S. user data from the view of employees in China, TikTok said that "certain China-based employees will have access to a narrow, non-sensitive set of TikTok U.S. user data" in order to ensure global interoperability. Employees will also be able to develop the TikTok video recommendation algorithm using U.S. data, though training of the algorithm will be limited to Oracle's servers.

TikTok promises that access will be "very limited" and will not include "private TikTok U.S. user information." TikTok says that it has not been asked to provide data to the Chinese government, and would not provide data if the CCP requested information.

Apple and Google have not as of yet responded to the FCC's request to remove the TikTok app from their app stores.

Article Link: TikTok Says Some China-Based Employees Can Access U.S. User Data, Outlines Plan for Better Safeguards
 
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CarAnalogy

macrumors 601
Jun 9, 2021
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Employees will also be able to develop the TikTok video recommendation algorithm using U.S. data, though training of the algorithm will be limited to Oracle's servers.
TikTok promises that access will be "very limited" and will not include "private TikTok U.S. user information." TikTok says that it has not been asked to provide data to the Chinese government, and would not provide data if the CCP requested information.

This is the key information in the article as it makes the rest irrelevant. The algorithm is the whole point, the secret sauce of all of it. Reading the sentence carefully, Chinese employees will train the algorithm, using the Oracle servers.

Also, if they refuse to provide data to the CCP, they and everyone else know very well that they will be disappeared and replaced with someone compliant.
 

kesenwangs

macrumors regular
May 16, 2021
183
315
Vancouver
That's not true.

Apple is adhering to local laws in terms of hosting Chinese data within China, but that's not the same thing as just freely handing over data at CCP's request.
This response is also simply not true. Apple has previously removed encryption technology used elsewhere because it wouldn’t be allowed in China, so there’s not really a need to “freely hand over data” at the CCP’s request anyways. No business entity has a choice in this matter.
 

IsaacM

macrumors 6502a
Jul 8, 2011
514
1,485
This response is also simply not true. Apple has previously removed encryption technology used elsewhere because it wouldn’t be allowed in China, so there’s not really a need to “freely hand over data” at the CCP’s request anyways. No business entity has a choice in this matter.
yup!

this is why the fear mongering about Tiktok specifically makes no sense. literally any company that operates in China, including Apple, Meta and others do the same
 

InGen

Suspended
Jun 22, 2020
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All “Social Media” Apps are swarming with current & former intelligence employees from various agencies world-wide and being run as a massive data collection and analysis operation. People (and websites) are feeding it every time they log in or *cough* promote these apps to the broader public.

Do not use social media apps. Do not have an account under your name or and app installed on your device. Save your time, and privacy.
 

Funny Apple Man

macrumors 6502a
May 1, 2022
599
1,282
All “Social Media” Apps are swarming with current & former intelligence employees from various agencies world-wide and being run as a massive data collection and analysis operation. People (and websites) are feeding it every time they log in or *cough* promote these apps to the broader public.

Do not use social media apps. Do not have an account under your name or and app installed on your device. Save your time, and privacy.
Same bro, I can confirm. The CIA agents inside my head are tricking me into posting a long essay on Twitter on how I will overthrow the US government so they can arrest me later. /s
 

Unregistered 4U

macrumors G4
Jul 22, 2002
10,520
8,523
I dunno, I mean, millions of people use it and millions don’t. As long as those millions that do aren’t pointing a camera in my direction…
 
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alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
When I was younger I worked for an American networking company and my entire sales team target was local governments in China. We sold everything including very advanced facial recognition software used to track people. I wouldn't so easily point finger OMG China bad. Nobody's innocent.
 

bLackjackj

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2016
925
1,878
Do not use social media apps. Do not have an account under your name or and app installed on your device. Save your time, and privacy.

Also wrap yourself up in cotton wool & hide in a bubble.

Here you are posting about privacy on a social forum?? Why are you posting here?

Seriously, unless your doing something highly illegal, what on earth are you worried about? The reason these apps are free to use, is because you give up a little of your privacy for targeted advertising. Thats the deal.
 

magicschoolbus

macrumors 68030
May 27, 2014
2,524
8,168
what a shocker. I’ve never watched or downloaded tick tock. And hey if the US government is now concerned about a social media app maybe they should hurry up and pass the damn chips act- just imagine when China gets back doors into every handset in America. Hurry up, senators.
 
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