back to article TikTok: Yes, some staff in China can access US data

TikTok, owned by Chinese outfit ByteDance, last month said it was making an effort to minimize the amount of data from US users that gets transferred outside of America, following reports that company engineers in the Middle Kingdom had access to US customer data. "100 percent of US user traffic is being routed to Oracle Cloud …

  1. Clausewitz4.0 Bronze badge
    Devil

    Data Owners, Capitalism

    QUOTE: Trump administration two years ago tried to have the app banned from the US in an effort to force its China-based parent company to sell to a US-based owner

    It is all about collecting data and who are the owners. Lets stop pretending it is something else.

    The old owners just get mad when there is an attempt to sell the business to someone else. But that's capitalism and we all love it, right?

    1. DS999 Silver badge

      Re: Data Owners, Capitalism

      Trump never mentioned Tik Tok until a bunch of teenagers on Tik Tok went viral sabotaging Trump's first post-covid rally by asking for tickets (which were free) and RSVPing and not showing up. He was claiming hundreds of thousands of people were going to show up at and around the rally, but was livid when everyone fit into 1/3 of an 18,000 seat arena.

    2. elsergiovolador Silver badge

      Re: Data Owners, Capitalism

      Nothing to do with capitalism. Chinese "company" is not a company in the western sense but a government department. They use western terminology, to mislead and make an appearance that they are like us.

  2. StrangerHereMyself Silver badge

    Liars

    Their only focus is on putting up a smokescreen and to confuse both regulators and customers by making cosmetic changes. Why does the data need to be backed-up in Singapore (which is a Chinese vassal state)? I'm pretty sure all the data will end up in China regardless.

    TikTok should be shut down.

    1. martinusher Silver badge

      Re: Liars

      I doubt if anyone in Singapore would think of themselves as 'living in a Chinese vassal state'.

      I think that ByteDance is being 'Huawei-ed'. You'll recall that Huawei tried to address all the concerns raised against them but ultimately they couldn't deal with the biggies -- they're Chinese and they're successful. Cardinal sins.

      Given the goings on here, especially the January 6th hearings and all the BS surrounding government, media and propaganda I'm surprised that anyone listens to "Republican Legislators". The Senate might think its important but its not, its now so disconnected from people and their lives it exists in a fantasy world. There are still True Believers, of course, especially when it suits their personal agenda but for most of us there's a bit of a 'credibility gap'. I'm just surprised that anyone takes them seriously.

      1. Tams

        Re: Liars

        The biggest 'biggie' is the Chinese state.

        1. martinusher Silver badge

          Re: Liars

          >The biggest 'biggie' is the Chinese state.

          The Chinese state just 'is'. We in the US have just got to get out of the habit of pretending that anyone that isn't America is automatically our enemy. Its not only racist but it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We could have got away with it back When American Was Great (back in the good old white days) but the world is different now. If nothing else the Chinese state is big enough to look Big Dog USA in the eye and go "Woof!" if it chooses to.

          We have to choices. We can retreat into nostalgia for a time that never existed, mouthing empty slogans about Making American Great Again, or we can roll up our collective sleeves and compete. One problem with being Top Dog is that everyone wants our position; we have to actively work to maintain it, we won't get anywhere by threats and intimidation (so I wonder why we keep trying?).

      2. StrangerHereMyself Silver badge

        Re: Liars

        Maybe they don't think it, but they certainly are. Singapore was originally a Chinese colony in Malay and ethnic Chinese are ruling the city state since like forever. They do have a stringent law that every company needs to have 50% Malay ownership, but the ruling class is all Chinese.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Liars

      > need to be backed-up in Singapore (which is a Chinese vassal state)?

      This highlights your ignorance.

      Singapore isn't a Chinese vassal state by any stretch of the imagination. They're fiercely independant and, if anything, tend to look down on Chinese a little too much.

      TikTok has 2 main locations, one in the US, one in SG. They back one up to the other to provide regional redundancy.

      There's no smoke and mirrors here.

      That doesn't mean they can or should be trusted, but overreacting to something a lot of companies do doesn't strengthen anyone's case

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pot, kettle…

    > The change of administrations has not really diminished concerns about data privacy, data sovereignty, and supply chain security.

    …on either side of the Atlantic.

    Yet instead of forcing American companies (subject to the US CLOUD act) to put "their" data under trust with EU companies, the European Commission heads straight on for a Schrems III.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The US are just as bad

    Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Google... they are all tracking you and harvesting your data.

    If something is free, YOU are the product being sold.

    1. veti Silver badge

      Re: The US are just as bad

      Yes, so I keep hearing.

      But the fact is, this "being sold" is a pretty painless experience, really. Nobody is putting a collar round my neck, making me stand on a block and pose for bidders. It's a lot less intrusive than, for instance, applying for a job, or a passport, or registering to vote. Let alone actually crossing an international border.

      I don't think this hyperbolic language ("being sold" my arse) is doing the job you want it to do.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: The US are just as bad

        > But the fact is, this "being sold" is a pretty painless experience

        Yes indeed. Especially when it's my contact details in your address book that you're selling.

    2. ThatOne Silver badge

      Re: The US are just as bad

      > Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Google... they are all tracking you and harvesting your data.

      And that's why they have to crush the competition by all means, and the easiest way is lobbying to have the competitor banned.

  5. steviebuk Silver badge

    No doubt

    those staff also work for the CCP.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh please, the required Chinese board member, can request a copy anytime, and ship it back home.

    All the players know this, so this drama is just to pantomine due dilligence.

  7. TeeCee Gold badge
    Mushroom

    If you're on TikTok...

    ...you deserve everything you get.

    No, I really don't think that anyone has any sort of duty to protect the stupid from themselves.

  8. EricB123 Silver badge

    Safe and Sound

    I want my personal data safe and sound with Zuck only.

  9. Winkypop Silver badge
    Trollface

    If you rearrange the letters in “social media”….

    It spells out “hi, we’re here to steal your personal information”

    (You have to squint a bit)

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