US TikTok's Head Of Security Resigns Amid US Government Pressure

JAKARTA - The head of security and safety of the United States TikTok, Eric Han, will leave the company on May 12. This is known according to two sources who know about it and an internal memo to employees.

His departure comes as TikTok is still trying to reach an agreement to circumvent bans by the US government. Han has led the TikTok security team in the US for several years, and in December, he was appointed head of security and safety for TikTok US Data Security (USDS), a separate entity created to reassure the government that the app should not be banned.

In a memo to employees announcing his departure, Andy Bonillo, USDS interim's manager general, said he would "serve as USDS T&S leader interimly" until "we find Eric's successor for the long term." Bonillo's title has already said "interim" because the US government has not approved the USDS TikTok proposal and will eventually have the final word about who runs it.

"Over the last four years, Eric has helped keep our US community through a tremendous growth stage," Bonillo said in the memo, quoted by The Verge. We remain dedicated to fulfilling our commitment to the TikTok community - both in the US and around the world - as we continue to invest in trust and safety as the basis for these efforts."

After this news was published, a TikTok spokesperson, Marijuana, sent an email to The Verge stating that Han's role was specifically focused on "compliance, security strategy, and moderation for content involving US users' personal data."

The implication is that it has little or no oversight of, say, security and safety efforts for TikTok video recommendations in the US, although the company said in December that it leads the US threat law and intelligence policy team TikTok in its new role.

Outside the USDS, TikTok's global Trust and Safety team oversees platform policies, processes, and security systems for our global communities, including the US, "wrotehan in the email. Head of Trust and Safety of TikTok is based in Dublin with leaders in the US, Ireland and Singapore. Our global Trust and Safety team is developing a global safety policy for platforms and overseeing content moderation that does not involve US users' personal data.

TikTok's fate in the US feels uncertain as before, with states like Montana trying to ban the app and the bipartisan RESTRICT Act going through Congress. The Joe Biden administration has also sent smoke signals showing that the USDS TikTok proposal is not enough to meet their demands.