TikTok user data reportedly shared via messaging tool 'Lark'

Yahoo Finance tech editor Dan Howley discusses a report that sensitive TikTok user data was shared via a messaging tool 'Lark'.

Video transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: There's another tech company in focus today on concerns around security documents obtained by "The New York Times", pointing to-- what exactly is being shared in this internal messaging app that's being used by TikTok employees? That's raising a lot of eyebrows here. What have we learned there?

DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, this is called Lark. And essentially, you know, if you use Slack, if you use Google Chat or something along those lines in your organization, it's an equivalent to that that ByteDance produces. Now, they have employees talking on this in the US and in China.

And the fear here is that some of the information "New York Times" uncovered is personal information-- driver's licenses, in some instances, some illegal content. And it's put into these chat rooms, where people can see it.

Now, just to give you an idea of what Lark is. TikTok CEO is actually on Capitol Hill discussing it. We have a clip of that.

LIZZIE FLETCHER: Does every TikTok employee have a Lark account?

SHOU CHEW: Yes, I believe so.

LIZZIE FLETCHER: And as you mentioned, it was developed by ByteDance, so it's not just used by TikTok employees? It's also used by ByteDance employees, is that right?

SHOU CHEW: Also by other companies now. I think Lark is selling it. And it's a good tool for instant messaging.

LIZZIE FLETCHER: So Lark is available to third parties outside of the ByteDance system as well like Slack?

SHOU CHEW: Yes.

DAN HOWLEY: So that's, you know, essentially a rundown of what exactly Lark is. Again, it's kind of a Slack equivalent. But the problem is that we've been discussing, the fear is that American content or American user content can be viewed by Chinese officials because of that tie up, where China can basically request a company's information. And the company has to turn it over.

And so TikTok has said, look, that's not the case. The Chinese government hasn't requested American user data. But this is an instance where workers in China have been able to get access to that data when this information is shared. And so there's that kind of fear again, no information that it's actually going to China at all, though.

AKIKO FUJITA: Yeah. And based on "The New York Times" story, it certainly feels like it was a little easy to be able to just kind of post that on Lark. But a story that we will continue to watch. Dan Howley, thanks so much for that.