Regarding the surveillance issue, TikTok has admitted that it inappropriately accessed data belonging to US users, including journalists from Forbes and the Financial Times, as part of an effort to find leakers. TikTok and ByteDance said they fired everyone involved in the operation.
I said previously reportedthe initiative was led by TikTok’s hyper-aggressive internal security team, which drew criticism from many TikTok employees. Sources I spoke with indicated that the team was staffed mostly by former US and European law enforcement officials.