Why does the Trump administration want to ban TikTok?
Legislators are concerned the Chinese government could utilize the video application to keep an eye on US residents. In a meeting with Fox News disclosed on July 6, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that clients who downloaded the application are putting "private data in the possession of the Chinese Communist Party." Trump refered to an alternate purpose behind a potential TikTok boycott: rebuffing China for its reaction to the coronavirus. Gotten some information about Pompeo's comments in a meeting with Gray Television, Trump affirmed the US is thinking about a TikTok boycott. "It's a major business," Trump said. "See, what occurred with China with this infection, what they've done to this nation and to the whole world is shocking."
Trump and Pompeo's comments come after TikTok clients and K-pop fans said they helped ruin participation at a June presidential meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma by saving a huge number of tickets online with no consideration of joining in. Trump supporters have a noticeable nearness on TikTok so prohibiting the application could likewise neutralize the president during a political race year.
The White House didn't have extra remark. The US Department of State declined to give any extra data.
On July 12, White House exchange guide Peter Navarro revealed to Fox Business that TikTok and informing application WeChat "are the greatest types of restriction on the Chinese territory" and to anticipate "solid activity on that." He didn't determine if a boycott was coming.
It's unclear how likely a ban is, but analysts say one wouldn't be easy to implement.
TikTok's access to US users' data may well be worth investigating. There will always be concerns when apps from foreign companies collect large amounts of user data, said tech policy expert Betsy Cooper, director of the Aspen Policy Hub.
But, she added, "It's unclear how much effort the administration will put into actually investigating the seriousness of the specific security concerns with the app versus using this as a threat for broader geopolitical leverage."
How has TikTok responded to a possible ban?
Concerns about privacy and national security aren't new to TikTok, and it's tried to push back against political scrutiny. In 2019, TikTok said in a blog post that all US user data is stored in the US with a backup in Singapore. TikTok also said its data centers are outside China and none of its data is subject to Chinese law.
"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 addressing Pompeo's comments. "We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked."
How would a ban work?
The US government would have to find a legally sound reason to request that Apple and Google pull TikTok from their app stores, according to analysts. And the companies could put up a fight.
"The tech community will be very hesitant to go along with this app ban," said Wayne Lam, an independent technology analyst. "It sets a precedent for the government to ban other apps or even for other global apps to be inaccessible to the US market."
Even if the app were banned, users can install apps on Android devices without downloading them from the Google Play Store, said Carolina Milanesi, a tech analyst at Creative Strategies.
"I don't know by then how you police that," Milanesi said.
The US Commerce Department could likewise put TikTok on its "substance" list, confining the organization's entrance to US innovation, she said. Chinese tech organization Huawei is as of now on that rundown. Adding TikTok to the rundown would mean the application wouldn't be permitted on Google's or Apple's store, she said.
Lam said that the US government could square traffic to TikTok, however that is "probably not going to succeed given our legitimate frameworks."
Governments that have restricted TikTok haven't had the option to completely square access. In late June, India prohibited TikTok and 58 other Chinese applications, saying in an explanation that the administrations are "biased to the power and honesty of India, barrier of India, security of state and open request." The move came after in any event 20 Indian warriors were slaughtered during a conflict with Chinese soldiers along a contested fringe in the Himalayas.
The Indian Express provided details regarding July 1 that TikTok has been expelled from the Google and Apple application stores, keeping new clients from downloading the application. Be that as it may, clients who previously had TikTok on their telephones were as yet ready to get to the administration. Some TikTok clients in India likewise began seeing alarms that said TikTok is working with the legislature to conform to its request.
The app has recently become a vehicle for political activism. After President Donald Trump's official twitter account invited supporters to request tickets to an Oklahoma campaign rally on June 11, K-Pop fan accounts encouraged their followers to register for the event and then not attend. TikTok videos with millions of views encouraged viewers to do the same.
Google declined to remark. Apple didn't react to a solicitation for input.
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