Data security concerns compel ByteDance to shelve IPO indefinitely

TikTok owner ByteDance has put on hold its plans for initial public offering (IPO) after Chinese regulators warned the company of data security risks.

According to reports, the Chinse internet tech behemoth made the decision to postpone the IPO in late March following the recommendations from the country’s cyberspace and securities regulators to focus on addressing data-security risks before listing offshore.

ByteDance has been considering an IPO of all or some of its businesses in the United States or Hong Kong for some time now. It also had other reasons for delaying the listing, including not having a chief financial officer at the time, said reports.

ByteDance reportedly became one of 13 internet companies asked by the Chinese government to adhere to much stricter data regulation and lending practices.

As per Wall Street Journal, observers are saying that given the current situation, more Chinese firms that intend to list in the US would have a second thought amid the country’s tightening security on data protection.

The review is believed to be another example of Beijing’s crackdown on influential IT giants. Last week, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SMAR) handed fines to the country’s internet giants, including Tencent, Alibaba and Didi Chuxing, after probing 22 cases of illegal operations in the internet sector.

The market regulator had said that all the cases are violations of the country’s anti-monopoly law, and the companies involved have been fined about USD 77,206 for each case, as per Global Times.