US lawmakers say that TikTok will bring national security risks to the United States

Recently, US Senators Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton sent a letter to the US National Intelligence Director, claiming that TikTok will pose a serious threat to US national security and asked US intelligence agencies to investigate the application immediately.

The two MPs wrote in the letter that they suspected that TikTok would illegally collect user data and disclose it to the Chinese government. In addition, the platform will limit users’ freedom of speech and attempt to influence the US election. The two said that considering the number of downloads of TikTok in the United States has exceeded 100 million, its potential destructive power is absolutely not to be underestimated. Because TikTok’s parent company is based in China, it could be compelled “to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” the senators said, adding in a letter to the acting US Director of National Intelligence that “there is no legal mechanism for Chinese companies to appeal if they disagree with a request.”

In this regard, TikTok officially responded that there is no factual basis for this statement. “Our data centers are located entirely outside of China, and none of our data is subject to Chinese law,” the company said in a statement Friday. “Further, we have a dedicated technical team focused on adhering to robust cybersecurity policies, and data privacy and security practices.”

Via: CNN