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A review of banning Chinese social media apps

The United States is "looking at" banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday. Pompeo suggested the possible move during an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, adding that "we're taking this very seriously", CNN reported.

Pompeo was asked by Ingraham whether the United States should be considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, "especially TikTok."

TikTok logo on a mobile phone screen, February 21, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)

"With respect to Chinese apps on people's cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too, Laura," he said. "I don't want to get out in front of the President [Donald Trump], but it's something we're looking at."

Washington's top diplomat added that people should only download the app "if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party." According to Techcrunch, the potential ban would deal another blow to TikTok after it recently went down in its biggest market, India.

Tik Tok's responses

"TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the US," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement following Pompeo's comments. "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.", CNN reported.

Photo: blog.polinchock.com

On the heel of Pompeo’s statement, TikTok announced that it would pull out of Hong Kong, which is facing an unprecedented wave of control from the Beijing government after the promulgation of the national security law.

“In light of recent events, we’ve decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong,” said a TikTok spokesperson. The company declined further comment on the decision.

A controversial social media app

According to Times of India, TikTok - which is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance - has been repeatedly criticized by US politicians who accused the short-form video app of being a threat to national security because of its ties to China. They allege that the company could be compelled to "support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party."

TikTok has said previously that it operates separately from ByteDance. It says its data centers are located entirely outside of China, and that none of that data is subject to Chinese law. US user data is stored in the United States, with a backup in Singapore, according to TikTok. A spokesperson for the company told CNN Business in May that it thinks the national security concerns are "unfounded."

Photo: thenextweb.com

The app has exploded in popularity in the United States and other western countries, becoming the first Chinese social media platform to gain significant traction with users outside of its home country. It was downloaded 315 million times in the first three months of this year, more quarterly downloads than any other app in history, according to analytics company Sensor Tower.

The company has also run into roadblocks elsewhere. Last week, the Indian government said it would ban TikTok and other well-known Chinese apps because they pose a "threat to sovereignty and integrity." Tensions between India and China have been escalating after a clash along the Himalayan border.

Despite a ban on government-issued devices, members of the US military still post to TikTok. Screenshot/TikTok

TikTok reported an astonishing 37.2 million American users in 2019, with user growth predicted to surge year on year by 21.9 percent. The huge growth of the app means that it is expected to hit 45.4 million USA users by 2020’s end, express.co.uk reported.

In June, it was reported by Forbes that the app was caught spying on millions of iPhone users again by Apple, after previously being caught in April.

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