ByteDance employees accessed user data of journalists on TikTok

Chinese tech giant ByteDance said that employees accessed the TikTok user data of two journalists without proper authorization, Reuters reported.

The employees, who no longer work at TikTok’s parent firm, were trying to look into leaks of ByteDance information and identify any connections between the journalists and company staff, according to an email seen by Reuters.

Erich Andersen, general counsel for ByteDance, said in the email that earlier this year, employees accessed the data of an ex-BuzzFeed reporter and a Financial Times reporter as part of their investigation into the leaks.

The employees reportedly examined the IP addresses of the journalists to see if they were in the same location as the suspected employees.

In an email to employees, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reportedly stated that the incident was not representative of the company’s principles. He added that TikTok will strengthen its protocols for accessing user data, which have been “significantly improved” since the incident occurred.