ByteDance met with China officials over data security: Sources

TikTok owner ByteDance met with Chinese regulators earlier this year over data security, a person familiar with the matter tells Bloomberg News.

TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. is working to ensure it complies with data security requirements after meetings with government officials over the issue earlier this year, a person familiar with the matter said. The Chinese tech giant, whose apps also include TikTok’s Chinese twin Douyin and the news aggregator Toutiao, had kicked off initial preparations for an IPO of its domestic assets, Bloomberg News reported in April. ByteDance’s considerations about going public had been in flux even before Didi Global Inc.’s IPO in New York sparked a regulatory backlash, and the company is approaching any potential IPO cautiously, people familiar with the matter said Monday, asking not to be identified discussing private information. ByteDance meets regularly with Beijing regulators about a range of issues, including data security, and the March discussions were part of that ongoing process, according to one person. Founder Zhang Yiming did not attend the March meetings, the person said. A ByteDance representative declined to comment.