TikTok’s leading security executive is resigning amid increased pressure from lawmakers over worries that China-based employees can access private data on the app.
Global Chief Security Officer Roland Cloutier announced on Friday that he is stepping down from his role after joining the company in 2020. Cloutier will be replaced by Kim Albarella, the previous head of security risk, vendor, and client assurance. The former CSO’s decision to step down appears to be part of a larger series of decisions made by TikTok leadership to keep United States user data in the U.S. and to account for developing concerns about China’s access to that data.
“Since first meeting Roland Cloutier, we immediately felt his passion for what we are building,” wrote TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in a blog post. “Since Day 1, he has embraced our mission to inspire creativity and bring joy with an unwavering focus on safeguarding our global community.”
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Cloutier will still work with TikTok in a strategic advisory role “focusing on the business impact of security and trust programs,” implying he will continue to have a role in defining TikTok’s security practices. Cloutier’s stepping down also appears to be part of the company’s adaptation to U.S. lawmakers pressing TikTok over the revelations of a recent Buzzfeed News report on how China-based employees of Tiktok’s parent company ByteDance could access U.S. user data.
“Part of our evolving approach has been to minimize concerns about the security of user data in the U.S., including the creation of a new department to manage U.S. user data for TikTok. This is an important investment in our data protection practices, and it also changes the scope of the Global Chief Security Officer (CSO) role,” Chew said.
Chew confirmed in a letter to Congress that China-based employees could access U.S. data through a preset number of security precautions. The TikTok CEO also stated that all U.S. user data was being transferred to servers run by the U.S. cloud hosting service Oracle. He also emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party had never asked for U.S. user data, that TikTok has never provided said data to the Chinese Communist Party, and that ByteDance would never do so if the CCP asked for it.
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Congress has since sent several letters requesting action to ensure China could not access U.S. users’ data. Nine senators requested that Chew answer questions about the company’s data practices, while Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) requested that the Federal Trade Commission initiate its own investigation into TikTok’s data practices.
The most recent development featured Reps. James Comer (R-KY) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) sending a letter to Chew asking him for additional details about employee access to data and the company’s potential compliance with China’s national intelligence laws.
