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US senators tell TikTok CEO to explain contradictions in reports on data storage and security
- Two senators sent a letter to CEO Chew Shou Zi asking about a report that TikTok stored financial information and Social Security numbers on Chinese servers
- TikTok said it remains confident in the accuracy of statements made to Congress about where it stores data and who has access
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Two US senators are asking TikTok to explain what they called “misleading or inaccurate” responses about how it stores and provides access to US user data after recent news reports raised questions about how the Chinese-owned social media platform handles some sensitive information.
In a letter sent Tuesday to TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi, US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn cited a report from Forbes that said TikTok had stored financial information of US content creators who get paid by the company – including their Social Security numbers and tax IDs – on China-based servers.
The senators also cited another report from The New York Times, published in late May, that said TikTok employees regularly shared user information, such as driver’s licenses information of some American users, on an internal messaging app called Lark that employees from TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, could easily access.
Forbes first reported Wednesday on the letter.
TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek said, “We are reviewing the letter. We remain confident in the accuracy of our testimony and responses to Congress.”
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