After years of scrutiny by the Chinese government over the possibility of using TikTok as a surveillance tool, the company today Announcement That’s it Oracle has completed the transfer of US user data to the server, which will ensure that US data will remain separate from its Chinese parent company.
Explained by Tick ​​tockOf U.S. user data has so far been stored in data centers in both the United States and Singapore.
“Our Virginia data center includes physical and logical security controls such as gated entry points, firewalls, and intrusion detection technology. The backup acts as a data storage location. “
But now, as part of an agreement with Oracle, US user information will only be in the United States.
“For over a year now, we’ve been working with Oracle on a number of initiatives to better protect the security of our apps, systems and US users’ data as part of our business relationship. We’ve now reached a significant milestone in that endeavor: we’ve changed the default storage location for US user data. Today, 100% of US user traffic is sent to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “
TikTok says it will still use its US and Singapore data centers for backups, but US user data will soon be removed from its own data center as part of a full pivot on Oracle Cloud Servers in the US.
The update comes at a crucial time with today’s BuzzFeed News Releases a new report Which suggests that TikTok is still potentially sharing US user data with Chinese authorities, as defined by its parent company ByteDance through data review practice.
Such as BuzzFeed:
“According to audio leaked from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings, China-based BitDance operators have repeatedly accessed undisclosed data about U.S. TikTok users – exactly the kind of behavior that prompted former President Donald Trump to threaten to ban the app in the United States.“
According to BuzzFeed News reports, China-based bitedance engineers have repeatedly accessed US user data at least between September 2021 and January 2022. That potential opposition Sworn testimony From Michael Beckermann, head of U.S. public policy at TickTockWho appeared before a congressional hearing in October last year and said that TikTok By nShare information with the Chinese government.
Technically, this may be true in the literal sense. But these new findings suggest that TikTok may still share U.S. user data with its Chinese core business, which is subject to China’s strict cybersecurity laws that would force CCP officials to share such information upon request.
There is no evidence that this has happened, but new investigations suggest that the U.S. team at TikTok may not be aware of the potential data sharing and the current state of exposure.
Perhaps, with TikTok user data now fully integrated into US-based data storage, this will help alleviate such concerns and ensure that TikTok can continue its meteoric growth indefinitely. However, it could also open up a platform for new regulatory verification in the United States, which could eventually lead to new calls to ban the app.
Much of this depends on the diplomatic situation between the United States and China, which is not going well now.
There are American authorities There have been repeated clashes with China With its expansion into the South China Sea, which has led to a number of conflicts with US-allied countries. China has also done so indirectly Supports Russian aggression in UkraineIn addition when continuing Provides military assistance to small countries in the PacificAs a way to expand its global influence.
All of these moves increase tensions with the United States, which is not good for ongoing business relations. Distrust between the countries sows the seeds of ongoing skepticism about Beijing’s intentions, which is why TikTok has become the focus of data security concerns.
As such, you can bet that these new releases will persuade U.S. authorities to visit TickTock one more time, which could again jeopardize his U.S. business. And if the United States ever goes to block the app (as India did because of its own conflict with the CCP), you can bet that other regions will follow, which would be a disaster for the app.
