TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, has denied using specific location data to track specific US individuals,
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According to CNBC, Forbes published an article on Thursday alleging TikTok planned to use its app
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"to monitor the personal location of some specific American citizens," citing materials viewed by the publication.
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According to the report, the monitoring is carried out by the ByteDance Internal Audit and Risk Control department, whose leader reports directly to the CEO.
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The department primarily investigates employee misconduct, but it also planned to collect location data on a U.S. citizen who had never worked for the company.
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TikTok responded to the article with a series of tweets, claiming it lacked "rigour and journalistic integrity."
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TikTok stated that Forbes "omitted the portion of our statement that disproved the feasibility of its core allegation:
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TikTok does not collect precise GPS location information from US users, implying that TikTok could not monitor US users in the manner suggested.
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TikTok also stated that its app has never been used to "target" any US government officials, activists, public figures, or journalists.