Is TikTok a Chinese Cambridge Analytica data bomb waiting to explode?

guest · Jul 22, 2021

Dutch data protection authority fines TikTok over privacy
July 22, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/technology-europe-business-data-privacy-0f62eda2f5c20cb431ccde994f5357bd

The Netherlands’ Data Protection Authority said Thursday it has fined TikTok 750,000 euros ($885,000) for not offering a privacy statement in Dutch, saying many children who use the popular video sharing app would be unable to understand the information.

The agency said that by not offering a Dutch-language privacy statement, “TikTok failed to provide an adequate explanation of how the app collects, processes and uses personal data.”
It said TikTok has some 3.5 million users in the Netherlands and that Dutch privacy law is “based on the principle that people must always be given a clear idea of what is being done with their personal data.”
The data protection authority said TikTok had “lodged an objection to the fine.”
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TikTok said in a statement that its privacy policy and a “shorter and more accessible version for our younger users, available in Dutch since July 2020, has been accepted by the Dutch Data Protection Authority as the solution to this issue.”
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guest · Jul 27, 2021

mood said: ↑

TikTok is on a hiring spree in Ireland and expects to have over 1,100 staff there by January
November 11, 2020
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/11/tiktok-hiring-spree-ireland.html

TikTok: Investing in European Trust & Safety, Data Protection and Privacy
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TikTok sets up cyber security hub in Dublin
Dublin-based cyber centre will oversee the security of TikTok’s users across Europe
July 27, 2021
https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252504510/TikTok-sets-up-cyber-security-hub-in-Dublin

TikTok, the short-form video-sharing app that found itself the subject of global attention in 2020 when it became subject to actions against it ordered by then US president Donald Trump, is to open a new cyber security centre in Dublin.
The company’s new Fusion Centre builds on a November 2020 expansion in the Irish capital to oversee data protection and privacy in Europe.

Roland Cloutier, global chief security officer at TikTok, said: “When people use TikTok, we know they are entrusting us with their data, and we take our duty to protect that data very seriously. That’s why, in developing our platform, security is built-in from the start.

“Our global security organisation operates a ‘follow the sun’ approach so that people on teams around the world are always focused on protecting people’s information – and ensuring that our next-generation entertainment platform can anticipate and stay ahead of next-generation security threats.
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This new centre will detect and respond to critical incidents as they happen, and will help improve online safety for TikTok users worldwide. This announcement underlines the company’s continued commitment to our country and will allow it to continue to benefit from our rich and highly skilled talent pool. I wish the team at TikTok the very best in their expansion plans.”
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guest · Aug 19, 2021

Senators challenge TikTok’s ‘alarming’ plan to collect users’ voice and face biometrics
August 19, 2021
https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/19/s...n-to-collect-users-voice-and-face-biometrics/

TikTok’s plans to collect biometric identifiers from its users has prompted concern among U.S. lawmakers, who are demanding the company reveal exactly what information it collects and what it plans to do with that data.

In a letter sent earlier this month addressed to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune, (R-SD) say they are “alarmed” by the recent change to TikTok’s privacy policy, which allows the company to “automatically collect biometric data, including certain physical and behavioral characteristics from video content posted by its users.”
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TechCrunch first reported details of the new privacy policy back in June, when TikTok said it will seek “required permissions” to collect “faceprints and voiceprints” where required by law, but failed to elaborate on whether it’s considering federal law, states laws or both (only a handful of U.S. states have biometric privacy laws, including Illinois, Washington, California, Texas and New York).
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Klobuchar and Thune’s letter asks TikTok to explicitly explain what constitutes a “faceprint” and “voiceprint”, as well as to explain how this data will be used and how long it will be retained. The senators also quizzed TikTok on whether any data is gathered for users under the age of 18; whether it makes any inferences about its users based on the biometric data it collects; and to provide a list of all third parties that have access to the data.

TikTok has been given until August 25 to respond to the lawmakers’ questions. A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately comment.
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guest · Sep 28, 2021

TikTok negotiation 'strangest thing I've ever worked on,' says Microsoft's Satya Nadella
Trump's administration 'had some particular set of requirements, and then they just disappeared.'
September 28, 2021
https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-...ing-ive-ever-worked-on-052616118.html?src=rss

This time last year, ByteDance was trying to save its TikTok app in the US and elsewhere after Donald Trump's administration threatened to ban it. One potential savior was Microsoft, which had negotiated to acquire the app in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but lost its bid to Oracle. At the Code conference, CEO Satya Nadella offered new details on the negotiation, telling journalist Kara Swisher it was "the strangest thing I've ever worked on," Geekwire has reported.

After Oracle's winning bid, ByteDance said that Trump had "ghosted" the site, effectively going silent after ordering the company to divest its US TikTok assets.
Though it came away empty-handed, Microsoft did learn a few things about complex foreign negotiations around tech. "It’s possible to run a foreign technology service in a domestic data center with strict security, privacy, and digital safety controls in a manner that provides appropriate transparency to local government officials," said Smith.
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hawki · Oct 27, 2021

"TikTok Executive Won’t Say Whether China Can Access American User Data

A TikTok executive on Tuesday refused to tell Congress whether the Chinese government could access American users' data...

According to TikTok's privacy policy, the company can share all user data with its "corporate affiliates." Beckerman refused to say whether those affiliates include Beijing ByteDance Technology, a TikTok sister company whose board includes at least one Chinese Communist Party official..."

https://freebeacon.com/national-sec...-whether-china-can-access-american-user-data/

xxJackxx · Oct 29, 2021

hawki said: ↑

A TikTok executive on Tuesday refused to tell Congress whether the Chinese government could access American users' data...
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Silence speaks louder than words...

guest · Nov 22, 2021

After four bans, TikTok finally passes the Pakistan challenge
Video app promises not to let naughty content cross the border, and to ban those who try
November 22, 2021
https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/22/ibm_power8_eol1/

Pakistan has allowed TikTok to resume operations on its soil.

The nation has banned the made-in-China social network four times on grounds that it allows inappropriate content to reach citizens. Pakistan's test of appropriate content requires it to conform with "religious, cultural, ethnic and national security sensitivities of Pakistan".
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The decision is welcome win for ByteDance, TikTok's owner, as Pakistan is the world's fifth-most-populous nation and therefore a desirable market – especially as ByteDance recently re-organised its affairs in the hope of improving growth.
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hawki · Dec 22, 2021

"TikTok is now more popular than Google...

TikTok has dethroned Google as the most popular domain in 2021, according to Cloudflare's 2021 Year in Review for internet traffic...

In 2020, the video-sharing platform was ranked No. 7 while Google came in at No. 1. This year, TikTok came in first, followed by Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, in that order..."

https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/tiktok-google-ranking

hawki · Jun 17, 2022

"Leaked Audio From 80 Internal TikTok Meetings Shows That US User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed From China

For years, TikTok has responded to data privacy concerns by promising that information gathered about users in the United States is stored in the United States, rather than China, where ByteDance, the video platform's parent company, is located. But according to leaked audio from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings, China-based employees of ByteDance have repeatedly accessed nonpublic data about US TikTok users — exactly the type of behavior that inspired former president Donald Trump to threaten to ban the app in the United States..."

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...tok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access

zapjb · Jun 17, 2022

It has exploded. Rearms itself & explodes again. Over & over again ad nauseam.

Trooper · Jun 17, 2022

No surprise. I have been telling people this for years.

hawki · Jun 17, 2022

hawki said: ↑

"Leaked Audio From 80 Internal TikTok Meetings Shows That US User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed From China

For years, TikTok has responded to data privacy concerns by promising that information gathered about users in the United States is stored in the United States, rather than China, where ByteDance, the video platform's parent company, is located. But according to leaked audio from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings, China-based employees of ByteDance have repeatedly accessed nonpublic data about US TikTok users — exactly the type of behavior that inspired former president Donald Trump to threaten to ban the app in the United States..."

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...tok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access
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"TikTok moves all US traffic to Oracle servers, amid new claims user data was accessed from China

TikTok said on Friday it is moving U.S. users’ data to Oracle servers stored in the United States. Overshadowing its migration announcement was a damning report that followed, claiming that TikTok staff in China had access to its U.S. users’ data as recently as this January..."
https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/17/tiktok-oracle-us-traffic-china-access/

hawki · Jul 4, 2022

"TikTok doesn’t just see its users dance videos.

It collects search and browsing histories, keystroke patterns, biometric identifiers, draft messages and metadata, plus it has collected the text, images, and videos that are stored on a device's clipboard..."

Brendan Carr, FCC Commissioner who has asked that Apple and Google remove TikTok from their app stores "for its pattern of surreptitious data practices."

https://twitter.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1541899558006837248

wshrugged · Jul 4, 2022

By
Alex Barinka

July 1, 2022, 2:55 PM EDT
"
TikTok, the viral video-sharing app owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., said certain employees outside the US can access information from American users, stoking further criticism from lawmakers who have raised alarms about the social network’s data-sharing practices.

The company’s admission came in a letter to nine US senators who accused TikTok and its parent of monitoring US citizens and demanded answers on what’s becoming a familiar line of questioning for the company: Do China-based employees have access to US users’ data? What role do those employees play in shaping TikTok’s algorithm? Is any of that information shared with the Chinese government?..."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...china-based-employees-can-access-us-user-data

guest · Aug 4, 2022

UK Parliament closes TikTok account after China data warning
August 3, 2022

The account has been locked, and content deleted, days after its launch.
Senior MPs and peers had called for the account to be removed until TikTok gave "credible assurances" no data could be handed to China.

TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which has denied it was controlled by the Chinese government.
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"Based on member feedback, we are closing the pilot UK Parliament TikTok account earlier than we had planned," a UK Parliament spokesman said.

A TikTok spokeswoman told the BBC it was "disappointing" that Parliament would not be able to connect with users of the app in the UK.
Offering to reassure the MPs who raised concerns, the spokeswoman said TikTok would be willing to "clarify any inaccuracies about our platform".
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guest · Aug 12, 2022

LinkedIn profile reviews imply several TikTok employees are also working for Chinese state media – report
August 12, 2022

Then, recently, a report from BuzzFeed says TikTok employees repeatedly accessed the US user data from China. Now, a new report from Forbes suggests that some TikTok employees could possibly be working for the Chinese government, too.

The report from Forbes started after scanning the profile of individuals working for TikTok. According to Forbes, from these public profiles reviewed, 300 of them used to work for Chinese state media publications. Even more, 23 of the said profiles are owned by ByteDance directors responsible for “media cooperation,” says the report. Meanwhile, the profiles show 15 individuals simultaneously employed by the different Chinese state media entities appointed as “foreign government functionaries” by the State Department.
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Despite the discoveries, ByteDance and TikTok didn’t deny the connections of the said individuals to Chinese state media.

As for the 15 profiles showing simultaneously working both for TikTok and the Chinese government, Banks said that ByteDance “does not allow employees to hold second or part-time jobs, or any outside business activity, that would cause a conflict of interest.”
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guest · Aug 16, 2022

Oracle is reviewing TikTok's algorithms and content moderation systems
The aim of the reviews is to ensure the 'models have not been manipulated in any way.'
August 16, 2022

Oracle has put TikTok's algorithms and content moderation models under its microscope in an attempt to make sure Chinese officials aren't meddling with them. TikTok is in the process of moving all of the data it has on US users to Oracle cloud storage based in the country. Oracle's audit is said to have started last week, after TikTok started routing all new traffic from US users through the former's systems.

A spokesperson told Axios that the reviews examine how TikTok's algorithms — the app's secret sauce — bubble up content "to ensure that outcomes are in line with expectations and that the models have not been manipulated in any way." Engadget has asked Oracle for clarification on what it means by manipulation in this context.
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On the moderation side, Oracle will regularly look at TikTok's practices related to both automation and human content reviewers.
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guest · Aug 16, 2022

TikTok pushes back on House official’s warning about use
August 16, 2022

TikTok pushed back on claims that a top House official made last week about security concerns related to the social media platform.

The company sent a letter to Chief Administrative Officer of the House Catherine Szpindor on Thursday, obtained by Politico. The company wrote that her “TikTok Cyber Advisory” contains inaccurate information and needs to be rescinded. The advisory warned lawmakers of security risks with the platform.
When asked for confirmation, a spokesperson for TikTok said the letter Politico published “appears to be authentic.”
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Szpindor’s office said in the memo that the office considers TikTok as a high risk due to a lack of transparency about how it protects user data, its requirement of “excessive permissions” for people to use the app and potential security risks associated with using it.
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guest · Sep 5, 2022

TikTok denies security breach after hackers leak user data, source code
By Bill Toulas - September 5, 2022

TikTok denies recent claims it was breached, and source code and user data were stolen, telling BleepingComputer that data posted to a hacking forum is "completely unrelated" to the company.

On Friday, a hacking group known as 'AgainstTheWest' created a topic on a hacking forum claiming to have breached both TikTok and WeChat. The user shared screenshots of an alleged database belonging to the companies, which they say was accessed on an Alibaba cloud instance containing data for both TikTok and WeChat users.
The threat actor says this server holds 2.05 billion records in a massive 790GB database containing user data, platform statistics, software code, cookies, auth tokens, server info, and many more.
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TikTok denies being hacked
TikTok has told BleepingComputer that the claims of the company being hacked are false. Furthermore, the company said the source code shared on hacking forums isn't part of its platform.

"This is an incorrect claim — our security team investigated this statement and determined that the code in question is completely unrelated to TikTok's backend source code, which has never been merged with WeChat data." - TikTok.
TikTok also told us that the leaked user data could not result from a direct scraping of its platform, as they have adequate security safeguards to prevent automated scripts from collecting user information.
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hawki · Sep 15, 2022

Yesterday, current & former social media execs testified on national security before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Regarding TikTok, listen to the stunning opening statement of investigative journalist, Geoffery Cain.

At 24:20 (it's only 3 minutes long but it's jaw-dropping.) To get there you can also start the video and click on the third gold star at the bottom of the video.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?522807-1/current-social-media-execs-testify-national-security-part-1

Dermot7 · Oct 31, 2022

For much of the tech industry, this summer was a season of economic uncertainty – one that led to a drop in Bitcoin prices, hundreds of laid off workers, and a hiring freeze. For video platform TikTok, it was also the summer that US regulators crossed the aisle to come to something of a consensus: it was time for stricter rules.

Since Buzzfeed reported in June that employees of TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance had access to US consumer data, TikTok has been the focus of rare bipartisan calls for regulation and inquiry.
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https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/30/tiktok-regulation-data-privacy-china

Dermot7 · Nov 2, 2022

TikTok is spelling out to its European users that their data can be accessed by employees outside the continent, including in China, amid political and regulatory concerns about Chinese access to user information on the platform.

The Chinese-owned social video app is updating its privacy policy to confirm that staff in countries, including China, are allowed to access user data to ensure their experience of the platform is “consistent, enjoyable and safe”.
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TikTok tells European users its staff in China get access to their data | TikTok | The Guardian

guest · Nov 16, 2022

FBI Director warns of potential Chinese gov’t exploitation of TikTok
By Jonathan Greig @jgreigj - November 15, 2022

The director of the FBI warned Congress on Tuesday about the ways the Chinese government may weaponize the popularity of social media giant TikTok in its favor.
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FBI Director Christopher A. Wray appeared alongside Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid to testify at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on worldwide threats.

The hearing ranged from fiery discussions about the southern border to issues surrounding cybersecurity. Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) focused her questions on TikTok, which is currently being reviewed by the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) over potential national security concerns.
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Harshbarger asked Wray whether the FBI has been involved in the review and about the agency’s view of the app’s safety.

“We do have national security concerns from the FBI’s end about TikTok. They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations if they so choose, or to control software on millions of devices which gives the opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices,” he said.
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guest · Nov 21, 2022

Senators join calls for US TikTok ban as Biden administration considers deal
Will Oracle help TikTok keep operating in the US?
By Rob Thubron - November 21, 2022

What just happened? Once again, the incredibly popular TikTok has come under fire from US politicians over claims that the Chinese are using it to spy on US users. The bipartisan warning comes as the Biden administration considers a deal that would allow the app to continue operating in the United States.

Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner warned of the dangers posed by TikTok, which has over 138 million active users in the US, calling it an "enormous threat." The Virginia Democrat backed Donald Trump's moves to prohibit the app in 2020. The former president signed an executive order to ban TikTok and WeChat in the US, but Biden replaced and revoked the orders in June. Biden's new order directed the Commerce Department to review apps tied to foreign adversaries.

"Well, I think Donald Trump was right," Warner told Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday. "So if you're a parent, and you've got a kid on TikTok, I would be very, very concerned. All of that data that your child is inputting and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing."
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Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton was equally damning "It's not just the content you upload to TikTok but all the data on your phone, other apps, all your personal information, even facial imagery, even where your eyes are looking on your phone," he said on the Fox program, adding that TikTok is "one of the most massive surveillance programs ever, especially on America's young people."
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guest · Nov 23, 2022

EU confirms multiple ongoing investigations into TikTok data practices
Regulators are looking into data transfers to China and ads targeted at minors.
By Kris Holt @krisholt - November 22, 2022

The president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, has confirmed there are multiple ongoing investigations into TikTok. The probes concern the transfer of EU citizens' data to China and targeted advertising aimed at minors. Investigators are seeking to ensure that TikTok meets General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.

“The data practices of TikTok, including with respect to international data transfers, are the object of several ongoing proceedings,” Ursula von der Leyden wrote in a letter shared by Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr.
“This includes an investigation by the Irish [Data Protection Commission] about TikTok’s compliance with several GDPR requirements, including as regards data transfers to China and the processing of data of minors, and litigation before the Dutch courts (in particular concerning targeted advertising regarding minors and data transfers to China)."
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Of course, TikTok has been in hot water on the other side of the Atlantic over its privacy and security practices. Last month, TikTok denied reports that China-based workers for its parent company ByteDance planned to track the location of some US citizens through the app.
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