TikTok employees used personal data linked to journalists to track down colleagues who were leaking information.
This is a very damaging case for ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. In information sent to theAFPthe Chinese company said that “ several employees accessed the personal data of two American journalists — one from the Financial Times, the other from BuzzFeed, who no longer works there — who cover the platform.
An operation to find internal leaks
These two journalists have obtained confidential information about TikTok and ByteDance in the past, thanks to the confidences made by other members of the company. It is for this reason that others, in the TikTok company, have sought to find the sources of the leaks, by exploiting the information associated with these two journalists. This policy is accepted.
Obviously, the sources of the leaks ended up being identified, since Erich Andersen, the group’s legal director, indicated that these people are no longer part of the company today. To AFP, ByteDance says it condemns the attitude of these informants, including ” the unfortunate initiative […] seriously violated the company’s code of conduct. »
The number of employees dismissed from TikTok following this case is not specified, nor that of the employees who sought to identify the origin of the leaks. Erich Andersen has received an internal report on this matter. It appears that the contacts of the journalists could be found by finding links – through geolocation – between the IP addresses of each other.
It seems difficult to imagine that the employees responsible for stalking their colleagues did so without the consent of their superiors. In fact, the case brings back to the carpet the regular accusations against TikTok. The mobile application, which enjoys tremendous popularity, is accused of being a very convenient Trojan horse for China to spy on.
The case, which is already having a certain impact in the United States, given the strong criticism aimed at TikTok and ByteDance, could also have repercussions abroad. In France, the minister in charge of digital, Jean-Noël Barrot, demanded of the ” clear explanations and irrevocable commitments. France and Europe will never compromise on freedom of the press. »
