Justice Department investigates TikTok parent company ByteDance for possible spying on US citizens

The DOJ is investigating possible espionage by the TikTok parent company ByteDance

Justice Department investigating TikTok’s parent company over espionage allegations 00:31

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance for possible spying on US citizens, including journalists, CBS News has confirmed.

News of the investigation comes as US lawmakers have stepped up calls for action against the widely used social media app over ByteDance’s ties to China and national security concerns over the collection of user data. The Biden administration is considering a possible nationwide TikTok ban if ByteDance doesn’t divest itself of the app, TikTok confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday.

Emily Baker-White, a journalist for Forbes who says she was one of the reporters whose TikTok data was abusively obtained by ByteDance, was the first to cover the federal investigation. The Justice Department declined to comment on Friday.

According to The New York Times, ByteDance admitted in December that its employees improperly obtained data from American TikTok users, including two journalists and a number of people connected to them.

“We have strongly condemned the actions of those individuals found to be involved, and they are no longer employed by ByteDance,” ByteDance said in a statement to CBS News on Friday. “Our internal investigation is ongoing and we will cooperate with any official inquiries if they are brought to us.”

The federal government has already banned the app for government-issued devices, and a number of lawmakers have enacted legislation that could lead to a national ban on the platform.

The CEO of TikTok is scheduled to testify before lawmakers in the House of Representatives next Thursday.

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Pat Milton

Pat Milton is an investigative producer for CBS News

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