TikTok’s struggles within its Project Texas unit illustrate the challenge it faces protecting U.S. data across a global social-media app. “The bottom line is this is American data, stored on American soil by an American company, overseen by American personnel," Chew said. “This eliminates the concern that some of you have shared with me that TikTok user data can be subject to Chinese law." Now many of the Project Texas data protections have devolved into what one employee called “a wink and a nod." One Project Texas executive recently told employees that TikTok workers outside of Project Texas are tired of hearing “no" when they ask for U.S. user data.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 30, 2024 17:12 UTC