Arkansas Online

U.S. relations shuffle made by ByteDance

General counsel no longer in charge as TikTok security scrutiny ramps up

JENNIFER JACOBS AND ALEX BARINKA

ByteDance Ltd.’s general counsel is no longer overseeing U.S. government relations for TikTok. This comes as part of a shuffle to improve the company’s standing during intense national security scrutiny, according to people familiar with the matter.

TikTok has been in contact with U.S. officials who oversee national security issues in an attempt to avoid a ban on the app in the U.S.

Erich Andersen, general counsel for the app’s Chinese owner ByteDance, was in charge of working with officials to find a compromise that would keep TikTok available. In the fall, he lost that responsibility, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the situation is an internal matter. Andersen will continue to lead the work with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, one of the people said.

“The scope of Erich’s role has changed to allow him to focus more deeply on the company’s legal, trust and safety work,” a TikTok spokesperson said.

It’s unclear who has taken over. Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, is still in his current job.

The company is awaiting a decision by CFIUS, a government panel that assesses the risks posed by foreign control of domestic businesses. The process in recent months has been stalled by the Justice Department and faced open criticism from the FBI.

TikTok has said it doesn’t share data with the Chinese government and has strict controls on who can access user data. Still, last month, ByteDance said some employees improperly accessed American user data in an attempt to track journalists.

Meanwhile, attempts to ban the app have picked up steam in Congress. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul said he plans to have the House Foreign Affairs Committee vote next month on a new bill to ban TikTok in the country.

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2023-01-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/281642489311581

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