The US government has been targeting services and providers from China for some time. After Huawei, the focus is now on the popular service TikTok. The app could therefore soon disappear from the app stores.
Huawei ended up on the US “black list” back in 2019. The group has still not recovered from the trade embargo imposed as a result. Google apps are still not allowed to be installed on Huawei smartphones. A similar ban, albeit in a different way, could also affect TikTok. The first voices are demanding that the app disappear from the app stores.
FCC calls for ban on TikTok
Users distribute short videos via TikTok. Developed in China, the app is very popular with young users around the world. However, according to an employee of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), Google and Apple should remove TikTok from the Play Store and App Store. The reason: The app is a very “sophisticated monitoring tool” from the Chinese government. In short, the application would allow operators to monitor users worldwide. The FCC employee therefore calls for a ban on TikTok.
Such a ban is not the first time in the room. As early as 2020, the US government dealt extensively with the app and called for a download stop to prevent its spread. There was even speculation that Microsoft might buy TikTok. The first negotiations have already taken place. In the end, however, it became silent about the USA-TikTok file. The app has not disappeared from the app stores either. A US judge put a stop to the ban on TikTok at the time.
Also Read: What is TikTok? The app simply explained
Not just a video app, but sheep’s clothing
Two years later, the voices from the USA speak up again and call for a ban on TikTok. They express concerns about data protection and freedom of expression. The Chinese government would therefore force the operators of the app to delete critical posts. The FCC’s Brendan Carr therefore calls TikTok “not just another video app. That’s the sheep’s clothing.”
Carr substantiates his statement with a report in which he refers to previous cases in which TikTok is said to have spied on users’ data. The app can therefore bypass Android and iOS security measures to access sensitive user data. He also cited TikTok’s 2021 decision to pay $92 million to settle a lawsuit. Back then, TikTok faced dozens of lawsuits, mostly from minors, who accused the company of collecting and selling personal information to advertisers without consent. Against this background, Carr has therefore asked Apple and Google to remove the app from the stores by July 8 at the latest or alternatively to provide an explanation as to why they do not want to do so.
Also read: Is TikTok a danger for children?
So far no reaction from Google and Apple
The two tech giants are keeping a low profile. So far, neither Google nor Apple have issued a statement on the required ban on TikTok. Unlike Huawei and the first wave in 2020, this time the demand to remove TikTok from the app stores does not come from the US President, but from a single FCC employee. He alone signed the letter. The impact of the claim is therefore comparatively small.
TikTok itself knows the criticism of the platform and knows about the required ban. We therefore want to do everything we can to dispel any doubts about the security of US user data. “That’s why we hire experts in their fields, continually work to validate our security standards, and engage reputable, independent third parties to test our defenses,” the app’s operators said.
Whether the FCC will actually get away with banning TikTok remains to be seen. At least the next chapter in this book was started with the statement.