A series of investigations and reports have revealed complexities in TikTok's business operations and its relationship with China. Despite TikTok's public statements distancing itself from China, new findings suggest that competitive business information from top U.S. advertisers was accessible to TikTok and ByteDance staff, including those in China. This raises concerns about how TikTok's ads division manages client data. Additionally, court records have disclosed details about ByteDance's origins, involving the role of Republican megadonor Jeff Yass and its bumpy road to success, which stemmed from a failed real estate venture. The Chinese embassy has also been reported to defend TikTok, asserting its Chinese identity, which contradicts TikTok's efforts to present itself as primarily based in Singapore and the United States.
US court documents, mistakenly made public, reveal ByteDance and TikTok's complex origin story, spawning from GOP donor Jeff Yass' failed real estate venture (New York Times) https://t.co/Xg4m4Kr4vM 📫 Subscribe: https://t.co/OyWeKSRpIM https://t.co/RtWAs0CsJ3
Chinese Embassy defends TikTok against potential forced sale in meeting with congressional staffers: report https://t.co/g2VvBzggBH
Court records, mistakenly made public, tell a story about the birth of ByteDance — the owner of TikTok — its bumpy road to success and the role of the Republican megadonor Jeff Yass’s firm. https://t.co/uoB0WZTGXG
Somewhat defeating the claim that Tik Tok is separate from the Chinese government... https://t.co/wKJKVM8cyL
"The [Chinese] embassy also sought to claim the company as Chinese, the [congressional] staffers said, despite TikTok’s public efforts to distance itself from the origin of its founders." https://t.co/5Ld2FY6dIP
“The embassy also sought to claim the company as Chinese, the staffers said, despite TikTok’s public efforts to distance itself from the origin of its founders.” https://t.co/x5Tl9Fe1Hl
"The embassy also sought to claim the company as Chinese, the staffers said, despite TikTok’s public efforts to distance itself from the origin of its founders. TikTok, unlike ByteDance, is based in Singapore and the United States." https://t.co/mQMp98DLxQ
NEW: For years, competitive business information from top U.S. advertisers was widely available to TikTok and ByteDance staff most anywhere, including in China. Inside TikTok's chaotic ads division and employees' concerns over how it's handled client data:https://t.co/2Uqmnr8VmF
TikTok has repeatedly said that it’s no longer linked to China. A new Fortune investigation tells a more complicated story. https://t.co/b4mngjR1Ha