The conflict between TikTok and the United States is not over yet. The concerns about TikTok’s threats against US national security are circulating again by a letter from FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. In the letter, the FCC commissioner asked both CEOs to remove TikTok from the app stores. This comes on the heels of a report by BuzzFeed News that claimed ByteDance China-based employees have access to the US users’ data. Carr says ByteDance is “beholden” to the Chinese government. Also, it is “required by law to comply with [Chinese government] surveillance demands.” Google and Apple still haven’t responded to the news. But TikTok previously said the report by BuzzFeed News was “misleading.” According to the FCC commissioner, TikTok is “out of compliance with the policies that both of your companies require every app to adhere to.”
FCC citing TikTok again as a threat to US national security
TikTok has always denied the allegations of collaborating with the Chinese government. The Chinese video-sharing app recently formed a partnership with Oracle to address the security concerns of US officials and reassure them it is not sending any data abroad. However, FCC is not optimistic and still insists on TikTok threats to US national security. The FCC says Beijing-based employees can access that data. However, in that report, Buzzfeed News revealed some undeniable details about how China-based TikTok employees can access US users’ data. Buzzfeed also said it “stands categorically behind our reporting that US user data was accessed by China-based TikTok employees far more frequently than previously known, and we’re glad that TikTok even confirmed this in its own statement.” Of course, TikTok didn’t deny the news that some company engineers in locations outside of the US, including China, may have access to the US user’s data. However, it says the access is granted “on an as-needed basis” and “under those strict controls.” TikTok says it uses encryption and security monitoring to secure user data. Also, US-based security team oversees the access approval process.
