Video sharing app TikTok has come under increasing pressure in the US following comments made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who told reporters that the Trump administration was looking at banning a number of Chinese-owned apps, including the hugely popular TikTok platform, over national security concerns. This follows recent government scrutiny of TikTok's Beijing-based owners Bytedance as a potential threat to US national security.
In a stark warning, Mr. Pompeo warned that people should only download the app "if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party." TikTok responded to the comments, stating that the company is not a risk to national security. The company, currently led by ex-Disney executive Kevin Mayer, insisted that safety and security for user data were of the highest priority to them. TikTok is estimated to have been downloaded 1.9 billion times.
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. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.
US Spokesperson, TikTok
The issue of data security is not confined to the US, as similar concerns are emerging across the world. Recently, India banned the use of 59 'foreign' apps, including TikTok. The ban comes after complaints from the country's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology regarding the misuse and transmission of user data by some mobile apps to servers outside India, claiming that data was being mined and profiled by "elements hostile to national security and defence of India."
In Australia, the government is calling for a similar ban to be put on TikTok over user data concerns. Federal MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Andrew Hastie, fears that TikTok could be sharing private information with authorities in Beijing, stating, "China's National Intelligence Law of 2017 means the Chinese Government can compel businesses to share information with them."
TikTok has also recently voluntarily withdrawn its service from Hong Kong due to changes in security laws regarding data requests from the Chinese government. It follows similar moves by Google, Facebook, and Twitter, who have also ceased processing government requests in Hong Kong for user data.