TikTok, the popular video-sharing app owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, is reportedly making an effort to avoid a ban in the United States. According to sources familiar with the matter, the platform has offered to increase transparency and grant U.S. officials oversight of its algorithms as part of a $1.5 billion reorganization of its U.S. operations. This comes in the wake of a report that a TikTok team in China accessed data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, and rising concern over data privacy.
In response, TikTok has created a new trust and safety team within its U.S. Data Security operation and is rerouting all U.S. user traffic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Last week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew met with European Union officials to discuss how the platform plans to adhere to strict new digital regulations in Europe.
It is not yet known whether TikTok’s efforts will be enough to prevent a ban in the U.S. or other countries, but the move is seen as a step in the right direction. Companies such as TikTok must continue to provide transparency and make efforts to protect user data in order to stay within the bounds of data security and regulation.