The Biden administration is threatening to ban TikTok unless the app’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the company. U.S. Cyber Command Director General Paul Nakasone shared his concerns with lawmakers about the app’s influence on public opinion and data.
“One third of Americans get their news from TikTok every single day. One sixth of American youth say they’re constantly on TikTok. That’s a — that’s a loaded gun,” Naksone said.
However, TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew tells the Wall Street Journal a sale won’t resolve America’s national security concerns over the popular video app. Chew says the demand for Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok won’t offer any more protection than a plan the company proposed with U.S.-based company Oracle.
There’s a concern the company could harvest and supply sensitive data on U.S. users to the Chinese government. Multiple state governments and Congress have banned the app from government devices. Maine Senator Angus King says he’s worried the information from TikTok could get into the wrong hands.
“We don’t want to ban it, but we do want to get the ownership into… people or companies that aren’t beholden to the Chinese Communist Party,” King said.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
