BY JACK MCEVOY
TikTok intentionally directed its staff to de-emphasize the app’s connection to Beijing, according to leaked internal documents acquired by Gizmodo.
TikTok’s public relations (PR) team was specifically instructed to “downplay the China association,” when asked about connections to the Chinese Communist Party, according to Gizmodo. The “Tik Master Messaging” and “TikTok Key Messages” documents reveal the company’s PR tactics during a time when ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, came under attention from regulators, politicians and the media.
After an FCC commissioner requested Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores in June because of the app’s Chinese connection and national security risk, TikTok gave special instructions to its team to avoid further inquiry and suspicion into its dealings with China.
