- The Justice Department has accused TikTok of gathering bulk information on US users based on their views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion, and religion.
- Government lawyers claim TikTok employees used an internal system called Lark to send sensitive data about US users to ByteDance engineers in China, where it was stored on Chinese servers.
- The Justice Department warns that the Chinese government could manipulate TikTok's algorithm to sway public opinion and exacerbate social divisions, a practice known as 'heating'.
- TikTok has denied the allegations, stating that the government has not provided proof and is confident they will prevail in court.
- The legal battle could result in a ban on TikTok in the US if the company does not sever ties with its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance.
Source: South China Morning Post
