Over the weekend, TikTok wrote to Republican Senators to guarantee them that it’s running on a program referred to as “Challenge Texas” to strengthen records safety for U.S.-based customers. This was once in keeping with the Senators’ letter to the corporate dated June 27 that puzzled its records get entry to coverage after BuzzFeed Information reported some China-based staff had get entry to to U.S. TikTok customers’ records.

“The extensive objective for Challenge Texas is to assist construct accept as true with with customers and key stakeholders by way of bettering our programs and controls, however additionally it is to make substantive growth towards compliance with the overall settlement with the U.S. govt that may totally safeguard person records and U.S. nationwide safety pursuits,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chunk mentioned within the letter.

Chunk was hoping that the corporate’s reaction to Senators’ questions within the letter will guarantee them that the fast video app hasn’t misled Congress at any level.

Whilst reiterating its objective of shifting 100% of US customers’ records to Oracle’s cloud, it admitted that some China-based staff have get entry to to this information “matter to a sequence of strong cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by way of our US-based safety workforce.”

TikTok additionally mentioned that ByteDance engineers the world over give a contribution to creating its advice set of rules, however its care for Oracle will ensure that coaching for its AI will occur at the U.S.-based corporate’s cloud.

TikTok has been weathering questions and skepticism for years over how U.S. records is treated on its platform, and extra typically data-sharing practices with its China arm and the have an effect on on U.S. nationwide safety; even supposing after the preliminary controversies that first surfaced when Trump was once nonetheless in place of work and threatening to prohibit the app outright, a few of it had died down.

Within the wake of the BuzzFeed file from mid-June, on the other hand, that complaint has amplified in quantity once more. Closing week, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr wrote to Apple and Google about doing away with the fast video app from their app retail outlets over nationwide safety considerations.