FBI Raises Security Concerns About TikTok

According to the FBI, TikTok, a Chinese social media giant, is posing a national security threat to the U.S. Director of the FBI, Christopher Wary, when talking to an audience at the University of Michigan, said that the data collected on TikTok could be used for spying.

The app is owned by ByteDance, which is a technology company. It has over 1 billion users across the globe. Ideally, most of its users are from the United States. Apart from spying purposes, Christopher fears that TikTok, because of its powerful algorithms, could be used to push pro-China propaganda and influence across the globe. Christopher also talked about TikTok security concerns at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, which was held in November.

When talking to his audience at the University of Michigan, Christopher said that TikTok is being controlled by a government whose values are not in line with those of the United States. Besides, the mission of this government is against what the U.S. stands for. Christopher is not the only person raising these security concerns about the Chinese video-sharing site.

Previously, Marco Rubio, a Florida senator, and Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin representative, called for TikTok to be banned in the United States. Both of them showed how a Chinese Intelligence Law requires all the citizens of China to help gather intelligence for the benefit of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party).

What’s more interesting is that the Chinese Intelligence Law requires the citizens of China to gather intelligence regardless of where they are based. TikTok reportedly is not only able to track the locations of mobile phones but also can collect internet browsing data.

Charles King, a technology analyst, says that the concerns raised by Marco and Mike are all valid. According to Charles, ByteDance (which, as mentioned earlier, owns TikTok) owes fealty to a Chinese Communist Party government. Charles further says that the aims of this government are not at odds at all with the interests of the U.S. Charles also talks about what Christopher pointed out earlier.

That is the app has user-tracking features and algorithms, which are deeply suspect, to say the least. King also adds that Facebook and Twitter can be used in a similar way for propaganda purposes.

Donald Trump also called for the ban of TikTok. He talked about this in 2020 when he cited national security concerns as the reason why the app should be banned. Nevertheless, having TikTok banned in the United States will not be an easy feat. And that is because this site is getting increasingly popular, especially among young Americans.

Back in 2020, then-President Trump brought these concerns to the spotlight and attempted to implement a ban of TikTok in the United States.  His reasoning was based on TikTok's sharing of the sharing of personal data with the Chinese Governement.  The Biden administration later canceled that effort but the concerns about security have remained.  

On 12/13/2022, a bill was proposed that would ban any social media companies that are 'under the influence' of Russian or Chinese Governments, including TikTok.  Critics claim that, in the case of TikTok, the Chinese Government has influence over what content is shown to United States Citizens.