TikTok is a short-form video sharing app that was launched in 2016 by the Chinese company ByteDance. Originally launched as Douyin in China, the app was introduced to markets outside of China under the name TikTok in 2017. Since then, TikTok has seen meteoric growth and has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.
Some key facts about TikTok’s origins and growth:
- TikTok merged with musical.ly in August 2018, another popular short video app, which helped boost its popularity.
- As of 2023, TikTok has been downloaded over 3.3 billion times worldwide on the App Store and Google Play.
- TikTok reached 1 billion monthly active users in 2021 and now has over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally as of 2023.
- TikTok is available in over 150 countries and in 75 languages.
- In the US, TikTok has been downloaded over 210 million times and is used by over 100 million monthly active users.
With its viral short videos, TikTok has become one of the fastest growing social apps generating significant cultural influence and commercial opportunity.
TikTok Owned By Chinese Company ByteDance
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which is headquartered in Beijing. ByteDance was founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming and currently employs over 60,000 people globally. It owns several content platforms including the Chinese version of TikTok called Douyin. In 2017, ByteDance acquired the popular lip syncing app Musical.ly and merged it with its own similar app TikTok, creating the platform as it exists today. While TikTok’s userbase exists predominantly outside of China, its parent company ByteDance is Chinese-owned and based in China. This has led to ongoing concerns and speculation about potential ties between TikTok’s data collection practices and the Chinese government.
Sources:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/who-owns-tiktok-updated-2023/444823
Data Collection by TikTok
TikTok collects a significant amount of data from its users. According to their privacy policy, TikTok collects information such as:
- User profiles information like usernames, profile photos, and any other data users add to their profiles.
- Videos and other content users create and share on the platform.
- Users’ interests and preferences based on their interactions with content on TikTok.
- Data on users’ social connections and followers/following lists.
- Users’ device information like IP addresses, browsing history, and unique device identifiers.
- Location data if users have it enabled.
TikTok gathers extensive data on its users’ in-app activity and interactions to feed its powerful recommendation algorithm. It aims to understand users’ interests and preferences to serve them tailored content. The extent of TikTok’s data collection makes some experts concerned about user privacy.
[Cite: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/doximity-files-ipo-bytedance-has-access-tiktok-us-user-patel]
TikTok Privacy Policy
TikTok’s privacy policy outlines how the company collects, uses, shares and protects user data. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, the company may collect information like username, device information, location data, and content you create, share or interact with on the platform. TikTok states that they may share this information with vendors, service providers, researchers, and public authorities. However, TikTok claims they do not provide personal information to the Chinese government nor allow Chinese authorities to access data without legal processes.
The privacy policy does mention that data may be stored and processed outside the country of origin, including in China. But TikTok states “we have implemented strict access controls and have comprehensive cybersecurity and encryption measures to secure data”. Overall, while TikTok’s privacy policy allows broad data collection and sharing, it does not explicitly indicate providing data to the Chinese government beyond legal requests.
Claims of Data Sharing With Chinese Government
While TikTok has denied sharing user data with the Chinese government, concerns have been raised by analysts and politicians over the potential for data sharing.
In 2020, then President Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok unless it severed ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance, citing national security concerns and the possibility that American user data could be accessed by the Chinese government (https://www.npr.org/2020/08/06/899616338/trump-signs-executive-order-that-will-effectively-ban-use-of-tiktok-in-the-u-s).
Some analysts argue that under China’s national intelligence law, companies like TikTok’s parent ByteDance could be compelled to share data with the government upon request (https://www.reuters.com/world/china/exclusive-tiktok-owner-byte dance-confirms-china-access-overseas-user-data-2022-06-17/).
However, TikTok claims it has never shared data with the Chinese government, and would refuse any request to do so.
TikTok’s Denials
TikTok executives have repeatedly denied allegations of sharing user data with the Chinese government. In March 2023, TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi testified before the U.S. Congress saying “TikTok has never shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government, nor would we if asked” (Reuters). He emphasized that TikTok does not operate in China and that all U.S. user data is stored in the U.S. and Singapore.
TikTok’s transparency reports also state that the company has never received a data request from the Chinese government. A TikTok spokesperson said “Since beginning transparency reporting in 2019, we have received zero data requests from the Chinese government” (The Guardian).
Despite these statements, concerns remain over the level of control and access that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance may have to U.S. user data stored abroad. But TikTok executives maintain there is a strict separation between TikTok user data and ByteDance.
Attempts to Access TikTok Servers
There have been concerning reports that the Chinese government has attempted to access TikTok’s servers to obtain user data. In 2021, Buzzfeed News reported that China-based employees of ByteDance repeatedly accessed nonpublic data on U.S. TikTok users.
While TikTok claimed that the employees were only accessing the data as part of their job responsibilities, the report highlighted the potential vulnerabilities in TikTok’s data security protocols. There are fears that even if ByteDance does not intend to hand over data to the Chinese government, China could potentially force them to turn over private user information stored on servers in China.
Given these reports, there is understandable wariness about the security of private data from the app’s millions of users outside of China. TikTok has tried to downplay the significance of these incidents and maintains that no private user data was improperly accessed. But the revelations have still raised alarm bells for some privacy advocates.
Data Storage Outside China
TikTok has responded to concerns about data sharing by storing user data on servers outside of China. In June 2022, TikTok announced that 100% of U.S. user traffic is now routed to Oracle’s cloud servers located in the United States (1). Previously, American user data was stored in data centers in Virginia with backup storage in Singapore (2). TikTok has stated that U.S. user data has always been maintained outside of China on servers in the U.S. and Singapore (3).
While the primary storage location for U.S. TikTok user data is now in the United States, some data from U.S. users may be accessible from certain employees in TikTok’s regional offices like Singapore, when authorized under internal protocols (3). But TikTok maintains that its stringent access controls prevent unauthorized access to U.S. user data from within China.
Sources:
(1) https://usds.tiktok.com/where-does-tiktok-store-u-s-user-data/
(2) https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-we-secure-personal-information-and-store-data
(3) https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2023/06/21/tiktok-confirms-data-china-bytedance-security-cfius/
Oversight of Data Sharing
TikTok has taken steps to increase transparency around data sharing and oversight. In February 2023, TikTok announced it would give more academic researchers access to public data on content and accounts to allow independent analysis of issues like integrity and misinformation [1]. TikTok also publishes regular transparency reports detailing information on content removal and legal requests. The latest transparency report from July-December 2021 indicated that TikTok did not receive any government requests for user data from China [2].
In October 2022, TikTok outlined steps to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act, including expanding its transparency center, allowing more researcher access, and developing policies to combat disinformation [3]. These voluntary steps aim to assure users and regulators that oversight and transparency are priorities.
Conclusion
There is ongoing debate around whether TikTok shares data with the Chinese government. On one hand, TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that is subject to Chinese laws regarding data sharing. However, TikTok claims that it stores American user data in the US and Singapore, not China. Attempts by security researchers to find links between TikTok’s servers and China have had mixed results.
Ultimately, there is no definitive evidence that TikTok is providing data to the Chinese government. However, given China’s data security laws and the difficulty of proving where and how data is accessed, concerns remain. TikTok faces continued pressure to increase transparency around its data handling and security practices to reassure its millions of users worldwide.