US Tik tok Ban: A US federal appeals court has reinstated the law under which Chinese company ByteDance, which operates the popular short video app TikTok. He has been ordered to sell TikTok’s operations by early 2024 or face a ban. Former President Donald Trump has said that he will not allow TikTok to be banned, which is used by more than 170 million users in the US.
FBI Director Chris Ray described TikTok as a serious threat to national security and said that Chinese companies "Are obliged to follow orders of the Chinese government and share information." Members of Congress have alleged that the Chinese government has a stake in ByteDance, which increases their influence over the company. However, TikTok claims that an entity affiliated with the Chinese government only owns 1% of ByteDance’s subsidiary Douyin Information Service, which has no influence on its global operations.
Allegations of data use and influence operations
The FBI has also said that TikTok could be used to increase national security risks. The Chinese government could access US users’ data through the app or influence the platform’s algorithms. National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone expressed concern that TikTok’s algorithm and data could help influence users. Is. TikTok has denied these allegations and said that it "Does not allow any government to control its recommendation model. The court ruled in favor of the law, saying it had examined the national security risks posed by the political branches and considered the proposed measures."text-align: justify;">Data sharing controversy
Lawmakers have claimed that ByteDance may be forced to hand over TikTok users’ data to the Chinese government under China’s 2017 national intelligence law.TikTok Rejected these allegations, saying that its operations are under American laws. The company’s CEO clarified that it never gave the data of American users to China.
Impact and mental health on youth
In March 2022, eight US states launched an investigation into whether TikTok use is harming the mental and physical health of youth. The focus of the investigation was on how the platform keeps youth engaged on the app for a long time. TikTok has said that it has taken several steps to make the platform safe for users under 18 years of age.
Case of spying on journalists
In December 2022, ByteDance admitted that some of its employees improperly accessed the data of two journalists. This action comes as part of the company’s efforts to investigate the data leak. Four employees were fired, and the company promised to take additional steps to protect user data.
