According to a message posted on TikTok’s website, Roland Cloutier, the company’s global chief security officer who manages cyber security, is resigning from his position while continuing to work for the business.
Florida-based Cloutier claimed his decision to leave came as a result of recent changes made to the security teams at the video-sharing app, which is owned by China’s ByteDance and is coming under increasing scrutiny from American regulators over its handling of user data.
In a memo, Cloutier stated, “With our recent announcement about data management changes in the U.S., it’s time for me to transition from my role as Global Chief Security Officer into a strategic advisory role focused on the business impact of security and trust programmes, working closely with (CEO) Shou, (ByteDance VP of Technology) Dingkun, and other senior leaders.
Two years ago, Cloutier was hired by TikTok to assist with both standard cybersecurity challenges and data security issues specific to TikTok because of its Chinese ownership.
The worldwide security team at TikTok has been reorganised, and China-specific security concerns, such as ringfencing the app from ByteDance, have been transferred to more regional teams.
In order to limit China’s access to data, it recently announced the creation of a special U.S. data security team known as “USDS” as a gatekeeper for U.S. user information. According to Reuters, the business is debating a structure in which the team would function independently and not be under TikTok’s direction or control.
According to a source, TikTok, whose leadership is located in the US and Singapore, is thinking about establishing comparable data security teams in other locations, including the EU.
In 2020, the business hired Cloutier from Automated Data Processing Inc (ADP), a provider of payroll processing services.
The interim head of worldwide security will be Kim Albarella, a senior member of TikTok’s security team. Albarella previously spent more than ten years working with ADP.
Senators from the United States have been questioning TikTok more often about the security of user data, and some want the Federal Trade Commission to look into the matter. The Biden Administration and TikTok are working on a final deal that would “completely secure user data and U.S. national security interests,” TikTok informed legislators earlier this month.
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