The TikTok logo and the Irish tricolor.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images; Douglas Sacha/Getty Images
TikTok executives met with British policy advisers and think tanks on Monday, per the WSJ.
The visit was part of “Project Clover,” which aims to convince European lawmakers that user data is safe.
The codename appears to reference Ireland, where TikTok is planning a second data center.
TikTok has reportedly launched a new initiative codenamed “Project Clover” to try to convince European lawmakers that it’s safeguarding users’ data.
Politicians around the world have grown skeptical of the Chinese company amid fears that it could be forced to hand over users’ information to the Chinese government or intelligence services. In the US, federal employees have been banned from using the app on government-issued devices since December 2022, per NBC News.
TikTok has previously said it wouldn’t comply with any demand from China, and has rolled out “Project Clover” in Europe, and “Project Texas” for the US in an attempt to assure politicians. The app nonetheless faces a US ban, with Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Republican Sen. John Thune of Dakota set to introduce a Senate bill Thursday to try and rein in national security threats from foreign tech.
In a Monday meeting, TikTok executives told British political advisers and think tanks that they had been speaking with the cybersecurity arm of GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence and security organization, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story.
Some attendees told the newspaper that, while they appreciated the transparency efforts, they still remain skeptical that TikTok could refuse an order from the Chinese government.
A spokesperson for TikTok told Insider the discussion on Monday was part of TikTok’s regular engagement with European policymakers.
The name “Project Clover” appears to reference one of the national symbols of Ireland — where it currently has one data center and plans for a second, per a company statement.
Several tech companies, including Apple, Twitter, and Google, have their European headquarters in Ireland, which is known for its low corporate tax rate of 12.5% – compared to the US’s 21%.
A TikTok spokesperson told Insider: “We have been pursuing a strategy of data sovereignty in Europe for some time now and we will be announcing further details on the industry-leading data security measures we will be implementing in Europe in the coming days.”