Breitbart reports that despite supposed efforts to distance itself from its communist China, TikTok insiders claim that the final say for the platform often comes from parent company ByteDance in Beijing. One former staffer reportedly told Business Insider that: “It’s that feeling a little bit in the US where you’re sort of helpless to a lot of the decisions that are made out of China.”

Business Insider reports that despite TikTok’s attempts to publicly distance itself from China following scrutiny over the company’s relations with the Chinese government, insiders state that much of the company’s direction still comes from ByteDance staff in Beijing.

In an August 2020 lawsuit, TikTok stated: “TikTok is not and has never been offered in China,” arguing that it was unfair for the Trump administration to attempt to ban the app. In November, ByteDance reorganized into six different business units, making a clear distinction between TikTok and its Chinese products.