(FreedomBeacon.com)- According to leaked internal TikTok papers, the firm has been devising PR methods to respond to allegations of its connections to China, including being owned by ByteDance.
According to stolen papers, Gizmodo says that TikTok is trying to address its tight ties to China. The PR materials define press talking points in English and another European language. They are headed “TikTok Master Messaging” and “TikTok Key Messages.” TikTok’s 53-page Master Messaging document describes business messaging.
Downplay ByteDance, China, and AI are message priorities for TikTok. Later in the paper, the business told staff that while teens liked TikTok, “the app is only for 13-year-olds.”
Similar terminology was used in a TikTok executive’s evidence before the UK parliament and the company’s letters to US lawmakers. TikTok’s PR staff is aware of the China relationship, and it’s addressed in both documents.
The company’s PR staff gives soundbites to counter inquiries regarding “China/Bytedance Ownership” in a 15-page paper. Some assertions include:
“Misinformation abounds regarding TikTok.”
“The app isn’t even accessible in China.”
Tik Tok maintains they’ve never shared user data with the Chinese government and won’t if requested.
This was posted on TikTok’s blog-
“We have a variety of mechanisms in place to minimize user data access, and we’re building on them.”
Despite its PR, TikTok’s American activities are linked to its Chinese parent firm. Recently, the corporation revealed that Chinese workers might access American user data.
CEO of TikTok parent firm ByteDance, Shou Zi Chew, wrote in a June 30 letter that China-based staff who clear a variety of internal security measures might access information about U.S.-based TikTok users, including public videos and comments. Chew said none of this information is shared with the Chinese government and is subject to “robust cybersecurity controls.”
The business is tightening data protection surrounding sensitive information, including “protected” material from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS). This new cybersecurity initiative is termed “Project Texas” and includes keeping U.S. data in Oracle Corp. data centers.
“TikTok’s reaction reinforces our suspicions about the CCP’s influence,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Friday. The Chinese-run corporation should have been open, but it hid its operations. If Americans use TikTok, Communist China has their information.
