The analysis did not reveal whether the app collects user’s contact lists, or collects photo, video, and geolocation data without the user’s permission, the researchers said, citing data collected between January and September 2020 Giving.
The report notes that no evidence has emerged of the use of unusual measures by Beijing to access user data, and that the app does not monitor search terms considered taboo in China, but does not know whether the app has used the same Whether or not the posts were treated, a newspaper reported according to The Wall Street Journal.
But the report also pointed out that the evidence it collected was “inconclusive” about whether Beijing was using political censorship, at least publicly, on users’ positions, and that they posed security problems. There was no denying the possibility that they could not be discovered, and he said that the Chinese government could use “unconventional methods”. Forcing ByteDance to transfer data on the pretext of complying with national security laws.
Researchers also found that the app is no more “intrusive” than Facebook when it comes to collecting data.
During the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, many countries, including the United States, accused users of spying and disseminating data to the Chinese government.
The Trump administration tried to ban it in the United States, and eventually agreed to sell it to “Oracle”, but the deal was suspended indefinitely.