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- Bytedance's global TikTok app is based out of datacenters in Singapore. - Bytedance's Chinese Toutiao app is based out of datacenters in China. Bytedance it

- Bytedance's global TikTok app is based out of datacenters in Singapore. - Bytedance's Chinese Toutiao app is based out of datacenters in China. Bytedance itself is a Cayman company, so in regards to the Chinese National Intelligence law, TikTok technically isn't required to share data with China nor am I aware of any evidence that they actually do (despite the memes).

sukilot 6y ago
Your claim is that a Chinese company can simply opt out of Chinese law by moving their computing outside of China?
- bduerst 6y ago
  >Bytedance itself is a Cayman company
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
hkmaxpro 6y ago
> TikTok technically isn't required to share data with China That can change in a few months. China is drafting Data Security Law whose “broad scope and extraterritorial reach pose particular risks for foreign companies as well as media organizations and their personnel. Most importantly, the Draft Law grants sweeping power in the name of national security to relevant Chinese government officials to access the data itself and regulate (including the powers to prosecute and investigate) data controllers regardless of whether they are located inside or outside China.” [0] China also just implemented National Security Law in Hong Kong that is also extraterritorial and requires hosting service to provide information to China, regardless of where they are located [1]. [0] https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/20200710-china-publishes-draft-data-security-law https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/2020071... [1] https://twitter.com/alvinllum/status/1280184488857710592 https://twitter.com/alvinllum/status/1280184488857710592
- bduerst 6y ago
  Which, if passed, applies to all tech companies in China, including Apple and Amazon (who do comply with the Chinese National Intelligence law already).
isatty 6y ago
Well, that is really strange because I'm fairly sure data centers are distributed around the world instead of being centered in Singapore. APAC peering and bandwidth costs are extremely high compared to EU/NA.
dragonwriter 6y ago
> Bytedance itself is a Cayman company ByteDance is legally domiciled in the Cayman islands but it's physical headquarters are in Beijing and it is very much a Chinese company, with its own internal CCP committee.
- bduerst 6y ago
  Which doesn't matter, because Chinese National Intelligence law only applies to subsidiaries that are in-country, not buildings in Beijing and not parent companies in the Caymans. Bytedance has a CCP committee for Toutiao, their in-China subsidiary. It's same reason why Apple only shares personal user information with the Chinese government about it's Chinese customers, and not Apple's global customers.

sukilot 6y ago

Your claim is that a Chinese company can simply opt out of Chinese law by moving their computing outside of China?

bduerst 6y ago
>Bytedance itself is a Cayman company
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

hkmaxpro 6y ago

> TikTok technically isn't required to share data with China That can change in a few months. China is drafting Data Security Law whose “broad scope and extraterritorial reach pose particular risks for foreign companies as well as media organizations and their personnel. Most importantly, the Draft Law grants sweeping power in the name of national security to relevant Chinese government officials to access the data itself and regulate (including the powers to prosecute and investigate) data controllers regardless of whether they are located inside or outside China.” [0] China also just implemented National Security Law in Hong Kong that is also extraterritorial and requires hosting service to provide information to China, regardless of where they are located [1]. [0] https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/20200710-china-publishes-draft-data-security-law https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/2020071... [1] https://twitter.com/alvinllum/status/1280184488857710592 https://twitter.com/alvinllum/status/1280184488857710592

bduerst 6y ago
Which, if passed, applies to all tech companies in China, including Apple and Amazon (who do comply with the Chinese National Intelligence law already).

isatty 6y ago

Well, that is really strange because I'm fairly sure data centers are distributed around the world instead of being centered in Singapore. APAC peering and bandwidth costs are extremely high compared to EU/NA.

dragonwriter 6y ago

> Bytedance itself is a Cayman company ByteDance is legally domiciled in the Cayman islands but it's physical headquarters are in Beijing and it is very much a Chinese company, with its own internal CCP committee.

bduerst 6y ago
Which doesn't matter, because Chinese National Intelligence law only applies to subsidiaries that are in-country, not buildings in Beijing and not parent companies in the Caymans. Bytedance has a CCP committee for Toutiao, their in-China subsidiary. It's same reason why Apple only shares personal user information with the Chinese government about it's Chinese customers, and not Apple's global customers.