TikTok admits using its app to spy on reporters in effort to track leaks

Chinese parent company, ByteDance says four employees, based in both US and China, have been fired

TikTok has admitted that it used its own app to spy on reporters as part of an attempt to track down the journalists' sources, according to an internal email.

The data was accessed by employees of ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company and was used to track the reporters' physical movements. The company's chief internal auditor Chris Lepitak, who led the team involved in the operation, has been fired, while his China-based manager Song Ye has resigned.