ByteDance restricts employees in China from accessing codes to overseas products like TikTok: Report

TikTok is facing enhanced scrutiny around the world. In the past, the short-video sharing network has faced bans, restrictions, and even fines. The parent ByteDance, in the meanwhile, is hard at work to secure goodwill in the overseas market. A new report claims ByteDance has now blocked its domestic employees’ access to code bases for products available overseas.

Pingwest.com citing sources reports that ByteDance’s employees in China who develop apps and services for the local market no longer have access to “sensitive data” of the products available in other markets. This includes TikTok but also extends to other products and services, the website added.

According to the report, the move is part of ByteDance’s ongoing efforts to separate its Chinese and global operations to allay privacy and other concerns in different markets. The company hopes the move will help reduce the strict regulatory scrutiny worldwide, the website added.

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That said, TikTok has indeed been taking several measures to improve its image overseas, especially in the US. Last month, the company hired Walt Disney Co's top streaming executive Kevin Mayer as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Earlier, TikTok announced opening a physical Transparency Center in Los Angeles. According to the Pingwest report, TikTok plans to open more similar centres across the US.

"In the future, we may have dedicated transparency centers for each individual market," the website quotes an employee as saying. "We may do the same for local R&D and data teams. That's part of the effort to split teams and build firewalls."