The company itself confirmed after an internal investigation that the application had been used by some of its employees to obtain information about U.S. users.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have launched an investigation to determine whyByteDance, the Chinese parent company that owns the Tik Tok app, allegedly spied on U.S. citizens, especially journalists.

According to a Justice Department source, reports ‘Forbes’, the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division is working together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and they have requested information from the Chinese company regarding its employees’ attempt to access the geolocation of U.S. journalists, as well as other private user data, using the Tik Tok app.

The company itself confirmed after an internal investigation that the application had been used by some of its employees to obtain information about U.S. users.

In a statement, ByteDance’s spokeswoman assured that the company “strongly condemns the actions of individuals who have been involved” in the controversy, and assures that they no longer work for them.

According to sources that inform the aforementioned media, the FBI would be conducting parallel interviews on the same subject, although they do not confirm whether the investigations are joint or respond to separate cases.

U.S.A. LEADS THE SUSPICIONS
A few days ago, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) demanded that the parent company ByteDance sell its shares in the application if it wants to continue operating in its territory, where it has more than 100 million users.

In addition, in February, the US Administration ordered the removal of the application from all official telephone devices, a decision that has been replicated by the European Union and several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Taiwan.

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