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TikTok admits tracking FT journalist in leak investigation

Chinese parent ByteDance says staff accessed user data to find reporters' sources

TikTok is facing a mounting political backlash in the U.S. over national security concerns.   © Reuters

LONDON (Financial Times) -- ByteDance, the Chinese owner of viral social media platform TikTok, has admitted it inappropriately obtained the data of users, including a Financial Times journalist, in order to analyze their location as part of an investigation into internal leaks.

Over the summer, four employees on the ByteDance internal audit team looked into the sharing of internal information to journalists.

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