Is The TikTok App A Surveillance Tool For the Chinese Government?
The TikTok app could be banned out of fear it might be being used by the Chinese government to spy on the United States.
What is the TikTok App?
TikTok is an app that is a short-form video that allows users to create videos that range from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in length. The app lets the user create whatever they want from instructional videos to recipes, stunts, jokes, and pranks, but it's basically to entertain those who want to watch or create videos.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. But remember anything company operating in China is under the control of the Chinese government. What seems fun and innocent could really be a monitoring tool in disguise.
Who Wants To Ban The TikTok App In The U.S.?
The Federal Communications Commission believes the TikTop app should be removed from app stores because of the data collection and algorithms the system uses that are controlled by the Chinese government. The app collects users' personal biometrics, browsing history, and location information.
CNN reported that lawmakers directly asked TikTok if any data is being accessed by Beijing. Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr said, "And that's not just a national security problem, but to me, it looks like a violation of the terms of the app store."
The Chinese government can take simple data and infiltrate communications while others are concerned they can influence Americans' cultural and political behavior.
I don't see why an American company couldn't create a similar platform where the data stays here rather than have the potential to be used by a communist government.
TikTok's head of public policy in America, Michael Beckerman claims while the app scans your face for filters it is not using the software to identify its users. Beckerman went on to say "The answer is we have never shared information with the Chinese government nor would we."
It kind of makes you wonder what apps China, Russia, North Korea, and others have created to grab data on U.S. citizens.
Local TikTok Star Concerned About TikTok Going Away
There are several TikTok stars right here in West Michigan and according to FOX 17, one by the name of Frankie LaPenna said it would be a bummer if he lost the platform but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
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