Tik Tok job candidates' personal data routed through China without their knowledge: report
TikTok argued earlier this year that they do not share user data with the company's Chinese owner ByteDance.
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Social media app TikTok routes job candidate's applications, which include highly sensitive and personal information, through servers in China, despite arguing earlier this year that they do not share user data with the company's Chinese owner ByteDance.
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Applicants linking their Facebook data to create a profile on TikTok's career page are rerouted to a site indirectly controlled by ByteDance called Kundou. Applicants are not explicitly told of the Chinese ties to the site by TikTok, according to a Business Insider report on Wednesday.
The information is then stored and moved through the Kundou site, according to Business Insider.
Privacy policy documents given to new applicants vary depending on what country they are applying from, and some leave out the fact that information is being shared with China, according to the business news site.
TikTok also claims that privacy documents from the United Kingdom that explicitly say the company is headquartered in China are "outdated" and incorrect, adding that they are not located in China but actually are based in the United States.
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"We are aware of a number of inaccuracies and outdated references in our UK privacy policies that apply to our recruitment process, and we are in the process of updating these," a TikTok spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday.
"To be crystal clear, TikTok does not have a headquarters, nor has it ever been headquartered in China. TikTok is not available in China. All TikTok user data is stored in the US and Singapore," the spokesperson said.
The firm is also altering its processes so job candidate data is no longer stored in China, Business Insider reported.
TikTok, which catapulted to popularity for its catchy social media challenges and short viral videos, has been sued in the past by users alleging the company shared its information with China.
The Trump administration contends TikTok poses national security concerns as the personal data of U.S. users could be obtained by China’s government. TikTok, which has over 100 million U.S. users, denies the allegation.
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Under pressure from the U.S. government, ByteDance has been in talks for months to finalize a deal with Walmart and Oracle to shift TikTok’s U.S. assets into a new company aimed to satisfy a U.S. divestiture order.