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The short video making app, TikTok, is facing a lawsuit charge which claims that it harvests users’ data and sends it back to China. Reportedly, American users of the app have come forward with numerous allegations regarding its recent censorship misconduct as well. The Chinese social networking platform has denied these claims as it faces a national security probe in Washington.

TikTok
TikTok

Last week, a consumer class action lawsuit was filed against TikTok in California, USA. ByteDance, the Beijing-based company behind TikTok, is facing charges for harvesting user data without notice or consent and sending it back to China. Furthermore, it was also claimed in the lawsuit that the app “includes Chinese surveillance software.” This allowed it to access user data and send it to Chinese servers, including those run by Tencent and Alibaba Group Holdings.

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This arrives after a user in New Jersey was locked out of her TikTok account after posting a video spreading awareness of Beijing’s mass detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang. TikTok removed the video once it went viral and later claimed it was by mistake. Currently, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is facing pressure from the US Government, facing an investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. CFIUS could force ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US operations if it is found that the company poses a national-security threat.

TikTok US-China Trade Disputes
US-China Trade Disputes

In the west, there is a pattern of increasing distrust over Chinese brands or those backed by Chinese companies. Huawei is one such example that faced similar allegations during the US-China trade disputes. Recently, TikTok claimed that it stores its US user data within the country and does not censor political content in line with Beijing’s instructions. Furthermore, ByteDance is reportedly considering moves to distance the TikTok brand from China.

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