Reddit CEO calls TikTok ‘fundamentally parasitic’, urges users not to download the ‘spyware’ app

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman made these comments at an event where the other panels were full of praise for TikTok.

TikTok has been facing the brunt of US authorities where the app allegedly sends user to data to Chinese servers. (REUTERS)

TikTok is one popular app. It receives an equal number of love and hate. But one person who detests is Reddit CEO Steve Huffman who finds TikTok "fundamentally parasitic".

Huffman's comments were made during a panel discussion at an event for trends set by social apps, TechCrunch reported. TikTok and its features were talked about widely at the event with Sam Lessin, former Facebook VP of Product, highlighting the app's innovations. While the regular critique around TikTok is the nature of its content, Huffman had something else to say.

"Maybe I'm going to regret this, but I can't even get to that level of thinking with them Because I look at that app as so fundamentally parasitic, that it's always listening, the fingerprinting technology they use is truly terrifying, and I could not bring myself to install an app like that on my phone," Huffman said.

Huffman didn't back down either on calling TikTok a "spyware" and that he "actively" tells people not to download the app. The Reddit CEO's comments don't come as a big surprise as the app is being reviewed if it under the lens of US authorities. TikTok faced lawsuits in the US on allegations that the app harvests and sends users data to servers in China. Some of these include Chinese tech majors like Tencent and Alibaba.

The lawsuits came after a TikTok user in the US said her account was blocked for posting a video criticizing the Chinese government's stance on the Uighur community. TikTok's parent company ByteDance denied the allegations and said that the user's account was banned for a different video that violated its policies. As for the 'controversial' video, TikTok said it was deleted due to an "error".