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Is TikTok Still Owned by China?
In a recent article, I discussed the controversy surrounding the question of whether TikTok is still owned by China. ByteDance, the company that runs TikTok, controls the algorithms and privacy policies of the app. While the company is based in China, the US government is concerned about the privacy of its citizens. The company settled a class action lawsuit for $92 million in February 2021.
ByteDance still owns TikTok
ByteDance still owns the popular short video application, but despite the controversy surrounding the company, it is unlikely to change much. In fact, it has even opted to sell a portion of its business to Americans. According to reports, the company is not passing data on its users to the government. To see also : What is the Song Everyone is Dancing To on TikTok?. However, the company did deny that it is doing this. Nonetheless, it is not clear why Chinese government would want to sell a portion of the company.
The recent ban imposed by former President Donald Trump is a blow to the Chinese company that created the short video app. But the company has resisted the pressure and defended its decision to sell TikTok. President Trump has even threatened to ban the app unless it sells its assets to an American company. In fact, Walmart and Oracle were reportedly in talks with ByteDance to buy the app, but the government has blocked the deal.
ByteDance has control over TikTok’s algorithm
There are many reasons why ByteDance may have control over the algorithm for TikTok. Some employees said they had no idea that a Chinese company would be buying the app, and some thought the $5 billion fee was a way to curry favor with the US government. ByteDance also said it retained majority ownership of TikTok Global. This may interest you : How to Increase TikTok Followers. The company denied knowing about the $5 billion fee and said that it had never heard about it. In response to this report, ByteDance closed the interaction and dismissed the notification.
ByteDance’s agreement with Oracle would transfer data from American users to the US while keeping the algorithm. The company has reportedly promised to create 20,000 new jobs in the US. But the fact that ByteDance has control over TikTok’s algorithm has sparked criticism. One US senator, Josh Hawley, has called for TikTok to be sold.
ByteDance controls TikTok’s privacy policy
There are multiple concerns about the privacy policies and practices of video-sharing website TikTok, including its connection with Chinese government. US officials have warned that the app’s parent company ByteDance may share user data with the Chinese government, which could weaponize it. To see also : How to Delete All TikTok Videos at Once. China could build profiles of individual users, monitor their activity, and target them directly or use aggregate data to attack the US. TikTok has repeatedly denied any such practice.
The company says it will delete personal data in the U.S. from its servers but acknowledges some employees may still access user data. TikTok is not censoring content on its platform, but it does control its privacy policy. It says it has strict cybersecurity measures and authorization approval protocols. In addition, it has a policy limiting its access to US user data. But this doesn’t address the fact that TikTok’s employees in the US may have access to user data.
TikTok’s relationship with China
Although TikTok has no direct ties to China, it has come under scrutiny because of its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. It has also faced scrutiny over its relationship with ByteDance, which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party. In both cases, users are arguably handing over their data to a Chinese company. And if a video is viewed by a Chinese user, then it is likely to be fed to the Chinese government. In fact, some experts believe TikTok’s relationship with China is a national security issue.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding its relationship with China, TikTok is continuing to hire new employees and expand its global business. In fact, it is hiring in spite of the pending government shutdown. And despite President Trump’s threats to shut down the company by Sept. 15, the company continues to hire. In a recent interview, Bogopolskaya said that the company’s CEO, Jason Chen, has met with top executives from both countries to discuss current trends and answer anonymous questions from staff members.
