The parent company of popular app Tik Tok, ByteDance, said the personal data of users is not shared with Chinese authorities.
However, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute report has found that ByteDance “collaborates with public security bureaus across China, including in Xinjiang where it plays an active role in disseminating the party-state's propaganda".
These findings came after allegations that TikTok has used censorship and "shadow-banning" — a stealthier form of censorship where particular topics are down-ranked in the app's algorithm so they don't show up in users' feeds.