Staff Reports
Chinese-owned TikTok reportedly wants to transfer all of its users' data to the US, and it's planning on putting an American team in charge.
TikTok's US subsidiary ByteDance is reportedly launching Project Texas, which will end the employment of its employees in the country.
Around a year ago, TikTok started working on bringing its data to the US. This involved restricting access to the platform's data from outside the country.
According to a report by BUZZFEED, ByteDance decided to address the concerns of US regulators, who were worried that the app could be used by the Chinese government to collect sensitive data on Americans. It will reportedly be cloning and operating several core functions of TikTok in the US for the first time. Some of these functions include the algorithm that determines how viral videos are, and the 'For You' page recommendations.
Oracle will reportedly be handling all of TikTok's systems and data as its technology partner for Project Texas.
Following the US rollout, TikTok is reportedly planning on implementing a similar process in other regions. This will allow users to have more control over their data while also allowing them to connect with other people. Since its debut in September of 2016, TikTok has been a popular social media platform.
One of the issues that still has to be resolved is how much control ByteDance's headquarters in Beijing will have over the operations of TikTok in the US. Although it is a component of ByteDance, it is still managed independently.
Currently, the US branch of ByteDance is led by middle managers who are based in the country. However, the company is reportedly considering various legal models that would allow Chinese managers to have more control over the operations of the company.
In response to the concerns about the security of its users' data, TikTok noted that it is committed to protecting its users' privacy. The platform's data is stored in Singapore and the US. It also continues to invest in security measures to ensure that its users' information is protected.
Although it is not clear when TikTok will be able to establish a separate US entity to manage its data, it is expected that this process will be a significant step for the company. Due to its Chinese ownership, TikTok has been banned or threatened in various countries.
In 2019, the Committee On Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUUS) started investigating whether or not TikTok poses a national security threat.
In 2020, Trump threatened to ban the app if it wasn't sold to a US company. The US Army and Navy also prohibited the use of TikTok on their work phones.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the company's future in the US, the deal that Oracle made to manage TikTok's data was regarded as a significant step toward addressing the concerns of regulators and politicians.
This deal came as the Biden administration was reportedly working on legislation that would restrict the ability of foreign-owned apps to access the data of US citizens.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, who is a supporter of Trump, said she would continue to be concerned about the security of the data of US citizens if the company's key decision-makers are based in China.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on The Daily Cable
