Ban in India not enough? TikTok still accessing personal data of Indian users

Chinese short-form video-making platform, TikTok, may be facing a nationwide ban in the United States, but it still has access to vast amounts of personal data of Indian citizens who previously used the app. The Indian government banned TikTok in June 2020, along with several other Chinese apps, over national security concerns. Before the ban, the app had about 150 million monthly active users in India.

According to Forbes, the personal data of Indian TikTok users "remain widely accessible to employees at the company." Almost anyone at the companies with basic access to their tools can retrieve and analyse granular data about past TikTok users in India, "including everyone from prominent public figures to the average person". 

"I don't think Indians are aware of how much of their data is exposed to China right now, even with the ban in place," a current TikTok employee told Forbes.

ByteDance has more than 110,000 employees worldwide, including in China, the US, and Russia.

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“The demographic data, especially on TikTok's unmatched Gen Z userbase, could also be highly valuable for commercial purposes,” the report said, quoting a TikTok employee. This data, combined with its advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence, could be used for targeted advertising or even political manipulation.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said they "have steadfastly complied, and continue to remain in full compliance, with the government of India order since it was implemented. All user data is subject to our robust internal policy controls surrounding access, retention, and deletion."

Meanwhile, the Chinese short video-making app sacked its entire India staff, which was about 40 employees, in February. The ByteDance-owned platform reportedly told its employees that February 28 would be their last working day and that they would receive up to nine months of severance package.

The Indian government has banned over 300 Chinese apps since the initial TikTok ban in June 2020, including WeChat, Shareit, Helo, Likee, UC News, Bigo Live, UC Browser, and many more. The government took action in February to block more than 230 apps, including around 138 betting apps and roughly 94 loan apps, that were identified as having connections to China.

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