TikTok’s US trust and safety head Eric Han to leave amid ban threats

TikTok revealed that Eric Han, the head of US trust and safety, will leave the company on May 12, resulting in a loss of a key executive as the popular short-form video app faces the possibility of a ban in the US. Owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, TikTok has already been prohibited on government-issued phones in countries such as Canada and Australia, due to concerns about potential Chinese government access to user data and the ability to influence content on the app. The app also faces increasing pressure from US lawmakers calling for a nationwide ban.

Despite this, TikTok consistently maintains that it has never shared data with the Chinese government, and would refuse to do so if requested. Han, who joined the company in 2019, played a crucial role in initiatives such as enhancing content moderation and reducing election misinformation. He was responsible for trust and safety within the company’s US Data Security (USDS) division, which stores US data domestically on Oracle-controlled servers in an attempt to alleviate security concerns.

This development occurs as TikTok readies itself for a presentation aimed at advertisers in New York today. The news of Han’s imminent departure was first reported by The Verge, reports Channel News Asia.