Chinese-owned social media app TikTok has sought to reassure US lawmakers over its data practices, amid renewed concerns about the threat to national security if private user information is accessible by Beijing.
In a letter to nine Republican senators dated June 30, TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew said the app, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, was working on “compliance with a final agreement with the US government that will fully safeguard user data and US national security interests”.
The efforts centre around working with US cloud software company Oracle “on new, advanced data security controls”, designed to ensure all American user data is stored in the country, and that “all data sharing outside of the protected enclave in the United States will be pursuant to protocols and terms approved by the US government”, he said.