US Customs Interrogates Over 30 TikTok Employees on Data Security Concerns

Project Texas is a massive corporate restructuring project initiated by TikTok. Its purpose is to wall off US user data from ByteDance's workers in China. This initiative is described by TikTok as an 'unprecedented initiative dedicated to making every American on TikTok feel safe, with confidence that their data is secure and the platform is free from outside influence.' The effort to completely isolate US user data from access by ByteDance employees in China began in 2022.

CBP agents are interrogating TikTok employees at US airports to inquire about their access to US users’ TikTok data, the location of TikTok’s US-based data centers, and their individual involvement with Project Texas. The questioning also extends to personal topics, such as whether they are members of the Chinese Communist Party, and requests information about their schooling and political connections in China. This is part of a broader concern regarding the security and privacy of US user data on TikTok.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew has stated in multiple congressional testimonies that US users' data is stored in the United States and is not accessible by ByteDance employees in China. He has emphasized the security measures TikTok is taking to protect US user data, particularly through Project Texas.

The US government, through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, has been investigating ByteDance since 2019. In 2023, the committee recommended a ban on TikTok unless ByteDance sells the app. Subsequently, President Joe Biden signed a foreign aid package that includes legislation that would ban TikTok unless ByteDance divests from it within the year.