ByteDance Ltd. (TikTok) — Ethics Grade F

ByteDance Ltd. (TikTok) receives an overall ethics grade of F (18/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Social Media. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 40
• privacy: 5
• consumer: 30
• environment: 60
• humanRights: 15

Documented incidents (3)

• Children's Privacy Violations (high, 2019) — TikTok paid a record $5.7 million fine to the FTC to settle allegations that its predecessor, Musical.ly, illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.
• Foreign Data Access Concerns (high, 2023) — U.S. and European officials raised alarms regarding ByteDance employees in China accessing sensitive user data, leading to bans on government devices. Investigations revealed the platform was used to track specific journalists' locations.
• Suppression of Marginalized Groups (medium, 2020) — Leaked documents revealed that TikTok moderators were instructed to suppress content by users deemed 'unattractive' or identifying as LGBTQ+ to avoid bullying on the platform, effectively censoring minority voices.

Documented good deeds

• Screen Time Controls — Introduced mandatory 60-minute screen time limits for users under 18, requiring a passcode to continue using the app.

Ethical alternatives

• Signal Messenger — Non-profit structure with zero data tracking for advertising.