Former TikTok Executive Alleges ByteDance Gave China Backdoor Access to U.S. Data and Manipulated Content

Former ByteDance executive Yintao Yu claims the company used bots and stole content to artificially inflate TikTok's engagement.
Yu alleges ByteDance allowed a Chinese Communist Party unit to censor content and access U.S. user data through a "backdoor channel."
Yu accused ByteDance of demoting content on its Chinese apps that supported Hong Kong protests and removed other content at the direction of the Chinese government.
Yu claims he was fired for disclosing ByteDance's improper conduct, including its coordination with the Chinese government.
Yu is seeking damages for lost earnings, punitive damages, and unvested ByteDance shares.