FBI Director: TikTok raises US national security concerns

FBI Director Chris Wray is concerned that TikTok ‘s activities in the US pose a risk to national security, possibly affecting users or controlling their devices. According to the FBI director, this application can be used for intelligence activities.

The risks include “the possibility that the Chinese government could use (TikTok) to control the data collection of millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be manipulated,” said Chris Wray. used for activities affecting users”. He also suggested that Beijing could also use the app to “control the software on millions of devices”, giving the opportunity to have technical control over those devices.

The Commission on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) in 2020 ordered ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) to stop investing in TikTok over concerns that US user data could be stolen.

In 2020, the administration of former President Donald Trump warned that it would ban the app in the US and pressured parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company.

The FBI director believes that TikTok may pose risks related to US national security. (Photo: Reuters)

US officials and ByteDance are currently negotiating an agreement to address US security concerns.

CFIUS and TikTok have been negotiating for months to reach a national security agreement that protects the data of the app’s more than 100 million users.

In September, TikTok CEO Vanessa Pappas said that TikTok is making “progress towards a final agreement with the US Government, to protect user data and fully address security interests”. country of America”.

In 2020, then US President Donald Trump ordered to prevent users from downloading WeChat, TikTok and ban other transactions related to this issue. However, he was unsuccessful in putting these measures into practice.

In June 2021, President Joe Biden revoked a series of Trump executive orders banning WeChat and TikTok downloads. However, he also ordered the US Department of Commerce to conduct a review of security concerns related to the applications.