TikTok’s chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas is leaving the company, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN, after spending several tumultuous years as its top public advocate and a champion of TikTok creators in the face of accusations the platform poses a national security risk.
“Throughout their time at TikTok,” Chew added, “they have been instrumental in growing the business, advocating for the company, elevating our product offerings and marketing campaigns, and fostering a positive community of creators and users.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, one of the lawmakers who released the disclosure, said the acknowledgment “makes it crystal clear that Americans’ data is still exposed to Beijing’s draconian and pervasive spying regimes – despite the claims of TikTok’s misleading public relations campaign.”
They went from reassuring TikTok users and creators that the platform was “here for the long run” to testifying before Congress and defending the company’s corporate structure to skeptical lawmakers. Pappas also tried to clarify how TikTok handles US user data, relying on nuanced, distinction-filled statements that have failed to resolve suspicions that the Chinese government may be able to access Americans’ personal information for spying or other purposes.
Those efforts were ultimately blocked in court, but TikTok continued to negotiate with the US government on a deal that might allow the platform to keep running in the United States. Those discussions have stretched on into the Biden administration, with no resolution in sight.