By Steve Neavling
The FBI and Justice Department are investigating TikTok over allegations that employees spied on journalists who were covering the video-sharing company, NBC News reports.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, found that employees improperly gained access to reporters’ IP addresses and user data in hopes of exposing the source of media leaks inside the company.
“We have strongly condemned the actions of the individuals found to have been involved, and they are no longer employed at ByteDance,” a ByteDance spokesperson said. “Our internal investigation is still ongoing, and we will cooperate with any official investigations when brought to us.”
U.S. officials are already worried about security threats involving TikTok, and the Biden administration even threatened a potential ban on the social media app if the company’s Chinese owners don’t sell their stakes in it.
