TikTok, a short-video sharing app, based out of China, has refused allegation of collecting user data illegally, saying it follows all local laws and regulations.
In a statement, the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, said privacy and security of users are its top priority.
The statement came in response to senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor alleging in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the short video platform was illegally collecting data and sending it to China. Tharoor had described it an issue of national security.
TikTok termed the allegations as “untrue” and said it abides by local laws and regulations in the markets where it operates. It said the Chinese government has no access to TikTok users’ data nor does it have any existing partnership with China Telecom.
“These claims are simply untrue. The privacy and security of our users is a top priority for TikTok, and we abide by local laws and regulations in the markets where we operate,” it said.
The statement further added that the Indian users’ data is stored in the US and Singapore at “industry-leading third-party data centers”.
“TikTok does not operate in the People’s Republic of China and their government has no access to TikTok users’ data, nor does it have any existing partnership with China Telecom,” the statement added.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance was released in 2017 for markets outside of China. It is an iOS and Android media app for creating and sharing short videos.
TikTok claims to have 200 million users in India, of which 120 million are active every month. Its monetisation efforts picked up pace after an interim ban on the app’s downloads was lifted by the Madras High Court in April 2019.
Tharoor had on Monday said he would like to draw the attention of the House to India’s vulnerability to data leakage and surveillance due to the absence of a robust comprehensive data protection framework.
He had urged the government to introduce a comprehensive legal framework to protect the fundamental right to privacy and save democracy of the country.
“Recently, the federal regulators in the US slapped a fine of $5.7 million on the social media app TikTok for illegally collecting data on children,” he said, adding there are reports that the Chinese government receives data from TikTok through the wholly state-owned China Telecom.
Some of the apps that falls under video-sharing category includes Samosa, MadLipz, ShareChat, Giphy, Roposo and others.