Two senators call for FTC probe into TikTok over U.S. data access
The Hindu
WASHINGTON
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee chair and top Republican have called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate social media app TikTok and Chinese parent ByteDance due to "repeated misrepresentations" over its handling of U.S. data.
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The request on Tuesday from Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Republican Marco Rubio followed a Buzzfeed report saying the short video app permitted TikTok engineers and executives in China to repeatedly access private data of U.S. users. The senators said such access raised questions over TikTok's claims to lawmakers and users that the data was protected.
"In light of repeated misrepresentations by TikTok concerning its data security, data processing, and corporate governance practices, we urge you to act promptly on this matter," the senators wrote FTC Chair Lina Khan.
TikTok said Tuesday that access to data "is subject to a series of robust controls, safeguards like encryption for certain data, and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based leadership/security team."
The company responded to the senators' letter by reiterating "TikTok has never shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government, nor would we if asked."
The FTC confirmed it had received the letter but declined further comment.