HONG KONG: Viral video platform TikTok’s withdrawal from Hong Kong is a savvy commercial move that sidesteps thorny privacy issues but it will not shield the app completely from accusations of collusion with China, experts say.
However TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has a similar app for mainland China called Douyin that does share users’ data with the Chinese government. “TikTok will lose their Hong Kong users, but Douyin will gain their Hong Kong users… it’s kind of a win-win.” US President Donald Trump said this week he was considering banning it as a way to punish China over the coronavirus pandemic.
TikTok has also faced questions on whether it hides videos from Hong Kong’s protests to appease the Chinese government.
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