ByteDance Ltd. — Ethics Grade D+

ByteDance Ltd. receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (35/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Social Media. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 40
• privacy: 15
• consumer: 25
• environment: 60
• humanRights: 20

Documented incidents (3)

• Data Access by China-based Personnel (high, 2022) — Leaks revealed that ByteDance employees in China accessed non-public data of U.S. TikTok users, contradicting previous executive testimony to Congress.
• Addiction and Teen Harm (high, 2023) — State attorneys general sued the parent company, alleging the algorithm is designed to addict minors and promotes body dysmorphia and dangerous challenges.
• Content Moderator Trauma (medium, 2021) — Lawsuits alleged that TikTok failed to protect moderators from psychological distress after viewing thousands of hours of violent and Graphic content without adequate support.

Documented good deeds

• STEM Knowledge Feed — Launched a dedicated STEM feed to promote educational content and science literacy among younger users.

Ethical alternatives

• Signal Messenger — Non-profit structure with zero data tracking or algorithmic manipulation.