Amid the TikTok chaos: someone added a ByteDance analyst to a US intelligence group chat

Amid the TikTok chaos: someone added a ByteDance analyst to a US intelligence group chat،

Someone made a big no-no last week, when a ByteDance researcher was mistakenly added to a panel discussion for US artificial intelligence security experts.

Oh the irony.

ByteDance, as you know, is the parent company of TikTok. TikTok is the topic of the day, as the Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously 50-0 (highly unusual) in favor of the TikTok/ByteDance measure. Then, by a surprisingly huge margin, the House sent the bill to the Senate.

The goal is for ByteDance to sell its interests in the viral short video app, or risk being banned in the United States. If everything goes as planned (if the bill passes and Joe Biden signs it), ByteDance will have 165 days to divest from TikTok. If it did not transfer control of TikTok to a US-based company, US app stores (like those of Apple, Google and Samsung) would be banned from offering TikTok in the country. funny things – Reuters reports that an analyst from TikTok parent company ByteDance has been added to a focus group of American AI security specialists.

The ByteDance researcher was included in a Slack channel intended for dialogue among participants of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) American Artificial Intelligence Security Institute Consortium, a source reported.

NIST clarified by email that the addition was made by a consortium member who believed the individual was volunteering. However, once it was discovered that the individual worked for ByteDance, NIST quickly revoked their access due to a violation of the consortium's ethics regarding misrepresentation.

The individual, listed on LinkedIn as residing in California, did not respond to inquiries and ByteDance remained silent on requests for comment.

The involvement of a ByteDance representative has raised concerns within the consortium, particularly given TikTok's controversial position in US discussions over the potential risks of Chinese surveillance and influence.