TikTok and Oracle teamed up after all, but concerns about data privacy remain - The Verge

TikTok says it has begun routing American users’ data to servers owned by the US-based Oracle, but a report from BuzzFeed News indicates TikTok employees in China had access to this information for months.

On Friday, TikTok announced that it had started routing American users’ data to US-based servers owned by Oracle. But a timely report from BuzzFeed News calls into question what TikTok’s promise really delivers, claiming TikTok employees based in China have “repeatedly” accessed US users’ data over the course of at least several months.

In recordings of internal staff meetings and presentations obtained by BuzzFeed News, TikTok employees reportedly mentioned having to ask their colleagues in China to access US user data, as they weren’t able to access this data themselves. One member of TikTok’s trust and safety department team allegedly stated that “Everything is seen in China,” while another employee said a China-based engineer “had access to everything.”

These events reportedly occurred from at least September 2021 and January 2022, and follow similar allegations detailed by CNBC last year.

TikTok has faced years of criticism for potentially exposing the data of US users to China, where TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based. In 2020, former President Donald Trump threatened TikTok with a nationwide ban and attempted to force the company into separating its US-based assets from ByteDance, calling it a threat to national security.

While TikTok never really did sell its US-based assets, it discussed making American software company Oracle its “trusted technology partner.” The deal seemed like it was on its last leg after President Joe Biden took office, but ended up reemerging in March with reports of something called Project Texas.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/19/23174775/tiktok-oracle-team-up-concerns-data-privacy-remain

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