TikTok Mulls Changes to Business to Distance Itself From China

Bytedance said it's evaluating changes to the corporate structure of its TikTok business as U.S. concerns grow over the parent company's Chinese origins. Bloomberg reports: Executives are discussing options such as creating a new management board for TikTok and establishing a separate headquarters for the app outside of China to distance its operations from Beijing, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Short-video and music app TikTok currently doesn't have its own headquarters separate from Bytedance, which was founded in China and is incorporated in the Cayman Islands. TikTok is considering a number of locations for a global base, the person familiar with the plans said, asking not to be named discussing information that's not public. Its five largest offices are in Los Angeles, New York, London, Dublin and Singapore. "We will move forward in the best interest of our users, employees, artists, creators, partners, and policy makers," TikTok said in a statement.

It's not only about being under China's thumb.

[Xenx]

There are plenty of security/privacy risks with TikTok that are completely unrelated to being a Chinese company. Unless they plan on solving those as well, this seems like a waste of time for them.

Re: It's not only about being under China's thumb.

[Z00L00K]

This is also why I'm very hesitant to install social media apps. We don't know what's in an app until much later, sometimes when i'ts too late.

A lot of people also do their banking and have an ID certificate on their phone. This makes phones very 'hot' targets for malware creators as well.

Re:

[Puls4r]

Yep. And this is just corporate hand-waiving. I mean - they're incorporated in the Caymens, so clearly there's no Chinese interference in the company's structure. Right?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[Kobun]

This isn't even a change of ownership. It's changing the window dressing around, to make the prime beneficiary of the spying less obvious.

Re:

[DogDude]

We know that TikTok is spyware, and have no reason at all to believe they'll clean up their act, whoever ends up owning them.

And yet, everybody with a "smart" phone continues to use it. "App" companies could just write, in large text, "WE STEAL ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND SELL IT TO ANYBODY" on the splash screen, and they wouldn't lose a single user.

Re:

[dysmal]

I wish you were joking but I know you're not.

Re: Don't bother.

[Way Smarter Than You]

Is it a free download? I'm in!

Re:

[mark-t]

This.

Trust, once lost, can often never be recovered.

They are done.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[antdude]

Everything is spyware these days. It doesn't matter which country. :(

Comcast tried this....

[DewDude]

They rebranded as XFinity.

No one was fooled. A piece of shit by any other name is still a piece of shit.

Re:Comcast tried this....

[The New Guy 2.0]

Comcast still uses its name in Business Class services, only the consumer line is called Xfinity.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Down for the count?

[The New Guy 2.0]

SiriusXM Hits 1 DJs Tony Fly and Symon reported this afternoon that TikTok was down... and they didn't know if it was going to come back. This could be the Great Firewall block that downed ChatRoulette in the USA.

One month later..

[atticus9]

TikTok parent ByteDance cancels plans to move outside of China following the return of key executives that had disappeared. ByteDance in it's statement, noted how grateful it was to the CCCP for giving them the foundation they needed to build their company, and that their research showed that China really is the best environment for growth for every industry. "It was foolish to even consider outside options" notes insiders.

Re: One month later..

[Way Smarter Than You]

"And furthermore we all appreciate retaining our organs and not being re-housed to a Uighur prison/school".

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

It's funny that people think China even cares about what apps do in other countries. In fact it's the opposite, they tolerate companies that make apps bypassing the Great Firewall when they need to for development. There are lots of companies in Shenzhen producing apps that are banned/illegal in China for other markets.

ByteDance itself has Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Separate apps for different regions, precisely so that they don't have to implement Chinese censorship in TikTok because China can

Correction

[hackingbear]

fix that for you: TikTok Mulls Changes to Business to Distance Itself From the Evil Palms of the US [amazon.com]

TikBlock

[knarf]

Add these to your blocklist:

abtest-va-tiktok.byteoversea.com
api-h2-eagle.tiktokv.com
api-h2.tiktokv.com
api-t2.tiktokv.com
api-va.tiktokv.com
api.tiktokv.com
api16-core-c-alisg.tiktokv.com
api16-core-c-useast1a.tiktokv.com
api16-core-c-useast2a.tiktokv.com
api16-core-va.tiktokv.com
api16-normal-c-alisg.tiktokv.com
api16-normal-c-useast1a.tiktokv.com
api16-normal-c-useast2a.tiktokv.com
api16-va.tiktokv.com
api19-core-c-useast1a.tiktokv.com
api19-core-c-useast2a.tiktokv.com
api19-core-va.tiktokv.com
api19-normal-c-useast1a.tiktokv.com
api19-normal-c-useast2a.tiktokv.com
api19-va.tiktokv.com
api21-core-c-alisg.tiktokv.com
api21-h2-eagle.tiktokv.com
api21-h2.tiktokv.com
api21-normal-c-alisg.tiktokv.com
api21-va.tiktokv.com
api22-core-c-alisg.tiktokv.com
api22-core-c-useast1a.tiktokv.com
api22-core-c-useast2a.tiktokv.com
api22-normal-c-alisg.tiktokv.com
api22-normal-c-useast1a.tiktokv.com
api22-normal-c-useast2a.tiktokv.com
api30-h2-eagle.tiktokv.com
api30-h2.tiktokv.com
i.byteoversea.com
ichannel-va.tiktokv.com
ichannel.musical.ly
im-va.tiktokv.com
imapi-16.tiktokv.com
imapi-mu.isnssdk.com
log-va.tiktokv.com
log.byteoversea.com
muscdn.com
musical.ly
p16-tiktok-sg.ibyteimg.com
p16-tiktok-va.ibyteimg.com
p16-tiktokcdn-com.akamaized.net
tiktok.com
tiktok.com.c.footprint.net
tiktokcdn.com
tiktokcdn.com.c.worldfcdn.com
tiktokcdn.com.wsdvs.com
tiktokcdn.liveplay.myqcloud.com
tiktokv.com

Add this to the ipset-based filter:

#ByteDance (tiktok etc)
130.44.212.0/22

Voila, no more problems with TikTok.

WOW Hong Kong is absent from the list!

[0xdeaddead]

Gee i wonder why