TikTok (ByteDance) — Ethics Grade D+

TikTok (ByteDance) receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (33/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Technology. Market cap: Private. Parent company: ByteDance.

Category scores

• labor: 40
• privacy: 8
• consumer: 15
• environment: 60
• humanRights: 40

Documented incidents (3)

• Children's privacy violations (high, 2023) — FTC investigated TikTok for violating children's privacy. Previously fined $5.7M for COPPA violations under Musical.ly.
• US user data accessed from China (high, 2022) — Internal recordings confirmed Chinese employees accessed US user data despite public assurances data stayed in the US.
• Addictive design targeting teens (high, 2023) — Multiple US states sued TikTok for intentionally designing addictive features targeting minors, harming mental health.

Documented good deeds

• Small business support — TikTok Shop and creator programs helped 5M+ small businesses reach new customers globally.

Ethical alternatives

• BeReal — No filters, no followers count, minimal data collection. Encourages authentic sharing.