The Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI are investigating the Chinese company ByteDance, the owner of popular video-sharing app TikTok, to determine if they have violated any laws by improperly collecting data from the U.S. The citizens, including journalists who cover technology, are included. The probe is related to ByteDance's admission in December that some of its employees had gained inappropriate access to data from two journalists and people associated with them. Following this, Forbes reported that two additional journalists, who work for the outlet, were also tracked, leading to the dismissal of four employees. The Biden administration has expressed concerns regarding the security of the U.S. Data collected by users were used, causing the app to be banned on federal government devices and more than two dozen other state governments. In addition, legislation has been introduced in Congress to ban the app entirely from the country. ByteDance has condemned the actions of employees and said that they will cooperate with any official investigations.
The Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States recently approached TikTok with a plan to divest the app, which has been opposed by ByteDance Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew. Chew is expected to testify next week before Congress to defend the company's stance. In the meantime, the U.S. has moved to the U.S.. The government has endorsed a bipartisan bill that would grant the Commerce Department the ability to ban or limit TikTok. TikTok has suggested a more moderate approach, advocating for strict government oversight and third-party protection and the review of the app’s data and code.
The DOJ's Criminal Division, FBI and the U.S. The attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia is conducting the investigation as the Biden administration continues to increase pressure on the company. With the security of the U.S. If users' data at stake are, the outcome of the investigation will have far-reaching implications.