Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have raised concerns about TikTok’s relationship with its parent company, ByteDance, and are demanding answers. This comes after reports of high-level executives moving between the two companies.
According to the Wall Street Journal, several executives from ByteDance have been transferred to TikTok since the beginning of the year, with some even relocating from China to the U.S. This has raised concerns among U.S.-based TikTok employees, especially considering TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s previous efforts to emphasize the separation between the two companies before Congress.
Blackburn and Blumenthal expressed their concerns in a letter to Chew, stating, “However, the recent move of many ByteDance executives to the U.S. seemingly undermines this assertion to Congress and the public.”
Chew previously appeared before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he faced questioning about data privacy, online safety for children, and national security concerns. He stated that there was no evidence of the Chinese government having access to TikTok’s data.
In an effort to address national security concerns, TikTok implemented Project Texas, which involved routing and storing American data with Oracle, a Texas-based software company. However, the recent staff changes reported by the Journal have raised doubts about TikTok’s commitment to security.
Blackburn and Blumenthal noted that the personnel changes “appear to align with a pattern of misleading actions and broken commitments” from TikTok, suggesting that the company is trying to maintain ByteDance’s influence without raising suspicion.
TikTok responded to the senators’ concerns, stating that employee moves across different products and geographies are commonplace in a global organization. They expressed willingness to provide the senators with facts and context regarding the recent employee moves.
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