Blackburn, Blumenthal Prod TikTok Over China Data Storage
TikTok misled Congress about storing sensitive user data in China, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote the company Tuesday. They sought answers about a report claiming the company “stored the sensitive financial information of U.S. TikTok creators…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
in China, including social security numbers and tax information” (see 2306020033). The reports “directly contradict statements you and other TikTok representatives have made to the public and under oath before Congress about where TikTok stores U.S. user data and the ability of employees in China to access that information,” they wrote CEO Shou Zi Chew. They cited comments from Public Policy Head Michael Beckerman, who told the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee in October 2021 that “U.S. user data is stored in the United States. Our backups are in Singapore.” The company said in a statement Wednesday: "We are reviewing the letter. We remain confident in the accuracy of our testimony and responses to Congress.”