Senator asks Apple and Google to ban TikTok from their app shops

TikTok is going through yet one more name from a outstanding lawmaker for the app’s ban, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, despatched to Apple and Google urging the businesses to ban TikTok from their respective app shops.

Within the letter, Bennet says that “TikTok, in its present type, [is] an unacceptable menace to the nationwide safety of america.” The letter, addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, repeats lots of the similar factors which were raised by different lawmakers looking for to ban the app.

Particularly, Bennet raises the likelihood that TikTok’s mum or dad firm, ByteDance, might be compelled to “use its affect to advance Chinese language authorities pursuits,” through TikTok. “Like most social media platforms, TikTok collects huge and complex information from its customers, together with faceprints and voiceprints,” Bennet writes. “Not like most social media platforms, TikTok poses a singular concern as a result of Chinese language legislation obligates ByteDance, its Beijing-based mum or dad firm, to ‘help, help, and cooperate with state intelligence work.’”

TikTok has lengthy denied that such situations may play out, and has tried its ties to China. In a press release the corporate mentioned Bennet’s letter “depends nearly completely on deceptive reporting about TikTok, the info we acquire, and our information safety controls.”

Apple and Google didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

Whereas it appears unlikely both firm would take such a drastic step based mostly on a letter from one senator, it highlights the mounting strain and scrutiny on TkTok. The corporate has spent the final two years negotiating with the Committee on Overseas Funding in america (CFIUS) to be able to safe its capability to proceed to function within the US. However that course of is reportedly stalled, and the corporate has been waging a brand new in an try and win over critics.

TikTok has additionally been sharing extra round its partnership to safeguard US consumer information and adjust to US regulators’ issues. However lawmakers appear to be in no rush to let TikTok off the hook. The app has already been banned from federal gadgets, and quite a few state governments have handed bans of their very own. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled at his first Congressional listening to subsequent month,