Denies Using US User Data In China, TikTok Affirms Platform Data Protection

JAKARTA In the midst of unclear divestment rules against TikTok in the US, ByteDance's platform reaffirms data protection on its platform. According to TikTok, data protection is the most important thing.

To refute US government concerns about using its population data in China, TikTok said it had been building US Data Security Inc TikTok since 2022. The company was founded to control access to user data in the US.

In addition, the company called USDS also regulates user content recommendations and provides a safe moderation system using Oracle Cloud. By setting up a user data-specific company in the US, TikTok guarantees data protection and its content.

"We voluntarily apply technical and operational protection to address national security issues while increasing transparency. This subsidiary with a special purpose is managed by more than 2,000 US-based employees," TikTok said.

TikTok explains that user data in the US will be stored automatically in Oracle Cloud with a 'controlled and monitored gateway'. Only USDS approved can access TikTok user data in the US because the data is protected by Oracle Cloud.

In addition to storing user data in Oracle Cloud, TikTok also provides a Special Transparency Center for trusted third parties such as Oracle and the Independent Security Inspector. They can manually check the TikTok platform to provide reviews.

This third party will focus on algorithm checks, mobile app codes to verify platform security, provide backend services as a secure supporting infrastructure, as well as identify and address risks from external code integration.

"Over the past two years, we have provided unprecedented transparency," TikTok said. "(we) have gone further than any other platform in protecting US user data."