TikTok names new head of security

Bloomberg

TikTok named a new head of security as the popular video app has come under increasing scrutiny from congress and other US officials over concerns that user data could wind up in China.
Kim Albarella was appointed to serve as interim head of TikTok’s Global Security Organization, the company said in a statement. She will oversee the transition as Roland Cloutier, who is stepping back from day-to-day operations on September 2, moves into an advisory role focusing on the business impact of security and trust programs. TikTok is owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd.
“Part of our evolving approach has been to minimize concerns about the security of user data in the US, including the creation of a new department to manage US user data for TikTok,” Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew and ByteDance Vice President of Technology Dingkun Hong said.
Several Republican senators wrote to Chew in a June 27 letter expressing concern about a report in Buzzfeed News that said TikTok’s US consumer data was accessed by company engineers in China.
The lawmakers said TikTok and ByteDance “are using their access to a treasure trove of US consumer data to surveil Americans.” The senators added that this “unfortunately extends beyond consumer data into the national security space.”
Brendan Carr, a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, has been one of the most vocal opponents of TikTok, and has pushed Apple Inc. and Google to remove the popular video app from their stores. This week, Carr testified on a House panel about his concern that military personnel using the app could be risking national security.
TikTok responded to the senators in a June 30 letter, acknowledging that certain China-based employees can access information from US users, but denied information goes to the Chinese Communist Party.