What's the story?
- The U.S. is “looking at” banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps over national security concerns, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Monday. Pompeo's remarks come amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.
- TikTok, a popular video-sharing platform, is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. It's been downloaded more than two billion times in the last three years. Members of Congress and the U.S. intelligence community have expressed concerns that the platform censors content and that its data could be accessed by Beijing.
- Pompeo said he doesn't recommend downloading the app unless "you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party."
- A TikTok spokesperson responded to Pompeo’s remarks Tuesday in a statement, writing:
“TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”
- In Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is implementing a new national security law that violates the "one country, two systems" principle it agreed to uphold through 2047, prompting sanctions by the Trump administration. A new China-backed security law would ban treason, secession, sedition, and subversion in the semi-autonomous city. TikTok has stopped operations of the app in Hong Kong in the wake of the new law.
What do you think?
Do you use TikTok? Are you concerned over your privacy on the app? Should the U.S. ban TikTok? Take action above, then share your thoughts below.
—Josh Herman
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