Several lawmakers have raised concerns about TikTok ‘s ability to protect US citizens’ data. This is not the first time that a Chinese short video hosting service has been called into question due to data misuse.
Trump’s team has spoken out against the Chinese government’s alleged data manipulation of TikTok users and has banned TikTok and WeChat services in the United States, citing national security concerns. The Biden administration lifted the ban in June , suggesting that Oracle servers be used to route all TikTok data from the US. However, the proposal has not yet entered into force.
In the latest turn of events, FBI Director Christopher Wray , speaking to members of the House Homeland Security Committee , expressed security concerns, saying he was ” extremely concerned ” about TikTok’s operations in the United States.
Ray’s statement provoked a ton of responses from other senators who supported Ray’s statement and voiced their disapproval of TikTok’s activities in the US.
Speaking on television, Senator Mark Warner , chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, showed support for the Trump administration’s decision to ban TikTok in the United States. Speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, he said:
Well, I think Donald Trump was right. This is *TikTok* – a huge collector of information, often about our children. They can even visualize your keystrokes. So if you are a parent and have a child on TikTok, I would be very, very concerned. All the data your child enters and receives is stored somewhere in Beijing.
NEW—Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee:
“TikTok is a enormous threat.”
“So if you’re a parent and you got a kid on TikTok, I would be very, very concerned.” pic.twitter.com/qdggWdKFz1
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 21, 2022
Tom Cotton , Senator from Arkansas, took to Twitter to support concerns about TikTok. In a tweet, the senator expressed confusion over why TikTok data from the United States is being processed by Chinese personnel working in the United States.
We need to know why TikTok uses foreign nationals with Chinese state ties to handle American citizens’ data—and why @SecMayorkas approved those visas. https://t.co/YAKP2HgTC2
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 14, 2022
Tom Cotton’s sentiments were shared by other senators. According to Bloomberg , Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Mike Gallagher said they are working to introduce legalization that will pave the way for a TikTok ban in the United States.
The huge outcry over TikTok’s national security concerns led senators to demand a total ban on TikTok. However, Biden’s administrator has yet to take any decisive action against the Chinese video-sharing platform. A plan to route TikTok data in the US through Oracle servers, which can be tracked and viewed by US officials, has yet to go into effect.
“We want to focus on getting ahead of the enemy. We don’t want to take a reactionary stance in policy making,” Kemba Walden , Associate National Director of Cyber Security, said at the CNBC Technology Executive Council Summit on the matter .
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