TikTok parent company ByteDance said Thursday that its employees improperly accessed two journalists' user data on the social media platform, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In an email from General Counsel Erich Andersen to employees, he said that several workers searched for leaks of company information by misusing their authority to access the data of a former BuzzFeed reporter and a Financial Times reporter.
Andersen said that TikTok fired all of the employees involved in the improper activities and would restructure its Internal Audit and Risk Control department to remove all user data permissions.
ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo condemned the move in his own email to employees, referring to it as a severe violation of TikTok's code of conduct.
"We simply cannot take integrity risks that damage the trust of our users, employees, and stakeholders," he wrote. "We must exercise sound judgment in the choices we make and be sure they represent the principles we stand behind as a company."
The news comes just hours after Reuters reported that TikTok has been trying to convince the U.S. government to allow it to remain under Chinese-owned ByteDance's control.
Among the proposals is a security deal that would store user data through U.S.-based companies, which would perform app and server code reviews. The platform also proposed the creation of a proxy board that would run its U.S. division outside of ByteDance.
"We have made substantial progress on implementing that solution over the past year and look forward to completing that work to put these concerns to rest," a TikTok spokeswoman said about a potential deal with the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment.
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