The US lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban TikTok
TikTok has been one of the most popular apps on the planet for years now. Many would say the most popular one. This app is owned by China’s ByteDance, and the US has had security fears for quite some time now. About a week ago, an FBI director said that TikTok is a threat to national security, and that’s not the only time something like that happened. Back in July, TikTok expressed a desire to address the US security concerns, but it seems like the US is relentless on this.
TikTok has over 100 million users in the US
TikTok has over 100 million users in the US, and it already addressed this situation. The company said that this “politically-motivated ban will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States”. The company also added that it’s in the middle of developing plans that are “well underway in implementing” to further secure TikTok in the US. These plans are put together following the national security review that began quite some time ago, while Donald Trump was still a President of the US.
ByteDance believes this is “politically-motivated”
Why did ByteDance specifically say this is “politically-motivated”? Well, the US and China have rather tense relations, so that surely has something to do with it. “From a privacy standpoint, simply preventing a company like TikTok from operating doesn’t close the gaps”, said Caitlin Chin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Alabama & Utah have banned TikTok on state devices
It is also worth adding that Alabama and Utah have become the latest US states to ban TikTok on state devices, Reuters reports. They join Texas, Maryland, and South Dakota, which have done it earlier. It remains to be seen what will happen with this bill, but it is said it “faces long odds”. ByteDance will surely try to convince the US to allow it to remain operational as well. We’re sure more information will follow soon.
