TikTok’s security chief steps down as company moves US data to Oracle servers

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The Wall Street Journal reports that TikTok's global chief security officer is stepping down as the company transitions to storing Americans' data in the US. Kim Albarella, TikTok's head of security risk, vendor, and client assurance, will temporarily take over as head of security risk, vendor, and client assurance.

With our recent announcement about data management changes in the US, it's time for me to transition from my role as Global Chief Security Officer into a strategic advisory role focusing on the business impact of security and trust programs Cloutier will be stepping down from his position on September 2nd.

The parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, announced in June that it had begun to route US users' data to an oracle server in order to quell fears that China has access to this information. The change comes as a way to "minimize concerns about the security of user data in the US" but also changes the scope of the Global Chief Security Officer's role.

The WSJ was told by a TikTok spokeswoman that Cloutier wasn't involved in the new department. She said that the organizational shift was in the works months before the US politicians started making noise about it.

For years, TikTok has been scrutinized over its ties to the China-based ByteDance, with some US officials accusing the app of Stealing Americans' Data to the Chinese government. TikTok employees in China accessed US users' data from at least September 2021.

A group of Republican senators wrote a letter to TikTok questioning the validity of the company's testimony during a hearing that took place last October. In response to these concerns, TikTok once again reiterates its plans to work with oracle to fully safeguard user data.