TikTok: Here’s a plan to better protect user data in the US

4 days ago, we learned that TikTok is on the hot seat in the US, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) The two Californian giants have asked Apple and Google to remove the app from their respective stores, an unprecedented move. However, this request made the entertainment app work as ByteDance (the parent company) released a plan to reassure users and the FCC.

TikTok unveils its plan

Several US senators have raised concerns about features of China-based app TikTok danger For the national security of the country and to write to the company A An open letter Outlines its plans to better protect the data of its US users.
This approach is similar to what the 45th President of the United States also warned about during the administration of Donald Trump. Dangerous TikTok is controlled by the Chinese government.
However, contrary to recent FCC guidelines, Trump wanted to choose a more drastic method: ban TikTok in the US or force a sale to an American company.

According to the letter received by The New York Times and published online, “Project Texas” (Tiktok project name) It is a multi-pronged effort to improve data security. According to TikTok, all US user data is hosted in an Oracle cloud environment located on US soil. Both companies are actively working together to establish more sophisticated data protection rules “in the future”.

TikTok wants to remove all data from its servers in the US and store it Absolutely In Oracle. “Protocols and agreements defined by the US government” will govern any data sharing outside the US, the company said.
The letter explains:

The overall goal of Project Texas is to help build trust with users and key stakeholders by improving our systems and controls, but this is significant progress toward meeting the final agreement with the states.-United. The government fully protects user data and the national security interests of the United States. We do not speak publicly about these plans out of respect for the confidentiality of our engagement with the United States. Government, but circumstances now require us to share this information publicly to clarify some lingering concerns related to errors and misconceptions in the article and other aspects of our business.

Can Chinese employees access US user data: Yes!

According to the TikTok letter, some China-based TikTok employees have the ability to see and use the personal data of US users. “Subject to the most stringent cyber security safeguards”, is strictly monitored and controlled by a security team based in the United States. An internal data classification system and an authentication process are in place Assign data access degrees Depending on the level of sensitivity. With the cooperation of the Biden administration, access to the data will be restricted in the future.

According to TikTok’s response to a question about why the company doesn’t have a plan to ban Chinese workers from accessing all US user data, “Some China-Based Employees Have Access to Small, Non-Sensitive Collections of U.S. TikTok User Data” order Maintain global interoperability. TikTok’s video recommendation system may be built using data from the US, but the algorithm is trained only on Oracle’s servers, not in China.

This apparent demand to remove the FCC blinders would have merited raising the bit dance that brought up the Texas plan. Respond to concerns In US User Data Processing.
Is that enough to allay the concerns of alarmed senators? See you in a few days…

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