SOCIAL media app Tiktok, which has taken the Philippines by storm addressed growing issues on their security and ownership, as it had been the center of fears that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can use the social media app for spying or propaganda.

According to TikTok Philippines Head of Public Policy Toff Rada, there is no truth to accusations that the said entertainment platform is being used to spy.

They admitted though that the parent company Bytedance has ties to the Chinese government.

“Ang Bytedance at TikTok korporasyon yan, isang pribadong korporasyon. At ang general rule sa korporasyon ay ang korporasyon ay pag-aari ng mga shareholders. So tatanungin natin, sino ba ang mga shreholders ng Bytedance?” Rada said.

“At ‘pag tiningnan mo yan, makikita mo klarong-klaro, 60 percent or majority ng mga shareholders ng Bytedance ay mga foreign global institutional firms katulad ng General Atlantic, Softbank, KKR, mga investment kumpanya, mga pribadong investment company, yung iba nga dyan mga Amerikano pa na mga kumpanya,” he added.

Likewise, Raja also debunked claims that the CCP has control over them.

“Ang kumpanya ay pinapatakbo ng tinatawag na board of directors. Pag tiningnan mo kung sino yung board of directors ng Bytedance, wala diyang miyembo ng Chinese government. As a matter of fact, 3 nga dyan Amerikano pa,” he explained.

“Pauli-ulit naming sinasabi, ang TikTok wala sa China…even ang Bytedance, na ang parent company, meron lang subsidiary, may isang kumpanya na nag-o-operate doon sa China. Pero hindi ang–katulad ng lahat ng kumpanya, ang subsidiary, walang control yan doon sa parent,” he said.

The European Commission and Canada had already banned the use of TikTok in its devices.

This is despite continued denial by the social media giant.

The parent company ByteDance, had admitted that its China-based employees had accessed Americans’ data.

But they rejected allegations that information was being turned over to authorities.