Chinese government tracked Hong Kong protesters with TikTok: suit
According to a court filing, a former executive at ByteDance, the parent company of social media platform TikTok, has alleged that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials had a “god credential,” which granted them access to confidential data that allowed them to track pro-democracy protesters and civil rights activists in Hong Kong. Yintao “Roger” Yu, the former head of engineering for ByteDance’s US operations, made the allegation as part of a wrongful termination case filed in San Francisco Superior Court. Yu left the company in 2018. TikTok officials have denied the Chinese government’s access to US user data. The legal battle comes as TikTok executives scramble to prevent a total ban in the US.
Key Highlights
– The CCP officials had access to a “god credential” on TikTok, allowing them to track pro-democracy protesters and civil rights activists in Hong Kong.
– The filing alleged that ByteDance promoted CCP propaganda while suppressing content related to the Hong Kong protests.
– TikTok officials have denied the Chinese government’s access to US user data.
– ByteDance plans to “vigorously oppose what we believe are baseless claims and allegations in this complaint.”
– TikTok has not been available in Hong Kong since 2020, when the ByteDance-owned entity pulled out of the region.
– The former executive also alleged that ByteDance engaged in “brazenly unlawful conduct,” such as stealing video content from viral platforms such as Instagram.
FAQs
1. What is the court filing about?
– The court filing alleges that Chinese Communist Party officials had a “god credential,” which granted them access to confidential data that allowed them to track pro-democracy protesters and civil rights activists in Hong Kong.
2. Who made the allegation?
– Yintao “Roger” Yu, the former head of engineering for ByteDance’s US operations, made the allegation as part of a wrongful termination case filed in San Francisco Superior Court.
3. Has TikTok responded to the allegations?
– TikTok officials have denied the Chinese government’s access to US user data.
4. Has ByteDance responded to the allegations?
– ByteDance plans to “vigorously oppose what we believe are baseless claims and allegations in this complaint.”
5. When did TikTok pull out of Hong Kong?
– TikTok has not been available in Hong Kong since 2020, when the ByteDance-owned entity pulled out of the region following the implementation of a national security law.
6. What did the former executive also allege in the court filing?
– The former executive also alleged that ByteDance engaged in “brazenly unlawful conduct,” such as stealing video content from viral platforms such as Instagram.
Lawsuit alleges Chinese government used TikTok to monitor Hong Kong demonstrators
A former executive at TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has claimed that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials were given a “god credential” that allowed them to monitor pro-democracy protesters and civil rights activists in Hong Kong. Yintao “Roger” Yu, former head of engineering for ByteDance’s US operations, made the allegation as part of a wrongful termination case he filed in San Francisco Superior Court. According to Yu, the CCP had access to a “superuser credential,” which enabled officials to track a range of data linked to Hong Kong protesters, including their location and personal devices. Yu also alleged that ByteDance promoted CCP propaganda while suppressing content related to the Hong Kong protests. TikTok executives have denied that the Chinese government can access US user data, and a ByteDance spokesperson stated that the company plans to “vigorously oppose what we believe are baseless claims and allegations in this complaint.”