The dispute comes at a time when ByteDance-owned app TikTok
faces growing calls for a nationwide ban from some U.S. lawmakers regarding
concerns about potential Chinese government influence over it.
Yintao "Roger" Yu said in a complaint filed on
Friday in San Francisco state court that the Chinese tech company engaged in a
"worldwide scheme to steal and profit from the content of others"
without seeking permission.
When Yu raised these concerns to higher management, he said
they dismissed them and asked him to hide the illegal program, especially from
employees in the United States, as it had stricter IP laws and class actions.
He was later dismissed by ByteDance in November 2018.
Yu also said in the complaint that ByteDance created
fabricated users to exaggerate its metrics and served as a useful propaganda
tool for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
He is seeking a court order that would prohibit ByteDance
from scraping content from other social media platforms.
In response to the complaint, ByteDance said, "We plan
to vigorously oppose what we believe are baseless claims and allegations. Mr.
Yu worked for ByteDance for less than a year."
ByteDance also responded to the scraping allegations, saying
it acquired data in line with industry practice and its global policy.
In April, Montana lawmakers passed a bill to ban its
short-form TikTok app from operating in the state.
In March, U.S. lawmakers questioned TikTok's Chief Executive
Shou Zi Chew about potential Chinese influence, saying its short videos were
damaging children's mental health, reflecting bipartisan concerns about the
app's power over Americans. © Reuters
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