ByteDance Ltd.

RDR evaluated ByteDance for the first time this year. However, the evaluation was focused primarily on TikTok, its global short-video service.^[1] ByteDance (TikTok) ranked sixth, trailing behind the majority of U.S. companies, except for X and Amazon. This was largely due to its lack of transparency on governance. The company is not publicly listed and, therefore, not required to disclose as much information as publicly listed companies. While TikTok had a human rights commitment at the service level, ByteDance itself failed to establish a group-wide human rights commitment to guide operations across its platforms. However, TikTok outperformed all the assessed companies in its transparency on freedom of expression.

TikTok has faced increasing scrutiny in the U.S. over national security and data privacy concerns since the first Trump administration. Lawmakers and regulators expressed fears that the platform could be forced to share user data with the Chinese government or be leveraged to influence public opinion. TikTok consistently denied these allegations and implemented measures such as Project Texas, a data security initiative designed to store U.S. user data inside the country with oversight to prevent unauthorized access. It also opened transparency centers—spaces designed to showcase its content moderation, data security, and algorithmic processes to policymakers and experts—and engaged in extensive lobbying efforts aimed at mitigating concerns. TikTok scored similarly to U.S. platforms Meta and X with respect to transparency on privacy policies and practices. In its transparency reports, the company clearly outlined its approach to government requests for user data, but it did not sufficiently differentiate between the types of requests received.

Despite TikTok’s efforts to assure regulators, the U.S. government remained unconvinced and enacted the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, mandating that ByteDance divest from its U.S. TikTok operations or face a ban. On January 18, 2025, when ByteDance failed to meet the divestment deadline, TikTok suspended its U.S. operations. However, the service was restored the following day after Donald Trump pledged to “save it.”

Beyond the threat of a federal ban, TikTok also faced legal action from the Department of Justice and the state of Texas, accusing the company of violating children’s privacy laws. The platform did not commit to minimizing user data collection or inference and failed to clarify whether it deletes all user information upon account termination. Additionally, TikTok did not disclose the encryption methods used to protect user data transmission or outline its protocols for responding to data breaches.

Beyond data security concerns, TikTok’s content moderation policies also came under scrutiny, particularly in the context of elections. As with other social media platforms, TikTok’s role in shaping public discourse during political events has been the subject of rigorous debate. TikTok provided more insights than any other assessed company regarding its content and advertising rules. Unlike most social media platforms, TikTok has banned all political advertising since 2019 to alleviate concerns that it could be used to spread political propaganda, manipulate public opinion, or interfere in elections. However, reports surfaced that political content, possibly paid for by organizations and individuals, appeared on the platform just weeks before the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Yet speculation surrounding TikTok’s ownership has continued to grow. Reports from March 2025 indicated that a deal on ByteDance’s sale of TikTok was imminent. On April 4, Trump extended the deadline for the sale by 75 days. However, the deal was reportedly put on hold, as the U.S.-China tariff dispute intensified. The question now remains: Would a change in ownership truly impact TikTok’s accountability to its users?