During a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the head of the investigative agency, Christopher Wray, expressed concerns about TikTok's security. He made it clear that the app raised numerous security concerns. In his eyes, Beijing could use the platform as a means to control software on millions of devices: “This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government – ​​and to me it raises national security concerns.”

Serious allegations: Criticized because of safety concerns

Additionally, there is a possibility that the app could be used to influence public opinion by spreading partisan or manipulative messages.

Due to these serious allegations, TikTok is currently facing severe criticism. In recent days, the governments of the USA, Canada and the EU Commission have expressed their concerns about possible Chinese data espionage and banned their employees from using the app on their work cell phones.

USA pushes ban on TikTok – Czech Republic expresses security concerns

The USA is doing everything it can to enforce a ban on TikTok as quickly as possible. A bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress on Tuesday by a dozen senators. This law would give Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo the authority to ban TikTok and similar foreign providers due to security concerns. Despite the allegations, more than 100 million Americans use the app.

The Czech Cyber ​​and Information Security Authority (Nukib) has classified TikTok as a “threat” and warned about the potential security risks associated with the app. The app's developer and administrator, ByteDance, is subject to the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China, which Nukib said poses a risk to national security due to the amount of user data collected by the app and the way it is processed could.

Concerns in the West center on fears that TikTok could be used to collect information about users by Chinese authorities. TikTok has dismissed these concerns, emphasizing that they have never received data requests from the Chinese government and would not respond to them because there is no legal basis for doing so.

TikTok denies allegations

The allegations are rejected by a spokeswoman for the company. These were based on “fundamental misunderstandings”. The company is currently working to improve data security, including by setting up three data centers in Europe to store user data locally. In addition, employees' access to data will be further reduced and the flow of data outside of Europe will be minimized, the company continued.

TikTok currently stores European user data in Singapore and the United States. However, the group plans to start storing in Europe later this year and continue the move until 2024.

Sources:

Tagesschau , Reuters , Krone

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