TikTok’s efforts to separate its US operations and user data from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, have been scrutinized, as the following reports allege continued collaboration between the two entities. Despite implementing Project Texas, which aimed to enhance data security and independence, former employees claim that data-sharing practices persisted, with US user data being regularly sent to ByteDance executives in China.
Under Project Texas, US user data was supposed to be stored on Oracle’s cloud infrastructure. Still, former employees suggest that the reality differed, with a ‘stealth chain of command’ enabling continued collaboration between US-based staff and ByteDance executives.