TikTok is getting banned for good after mounting national security concerns
The state is working to ban TikTok across the country.
The No TikTok on US Devices Act, a bill to completely ban the popular Chinese short-video sharing app TikTok, will be put to vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee next month.
The law reportedly grants the White House the right to ban the video-sharing platform TikTok on the grounds that it poses a threat to national security. The US House of Representatives outlawed the app last month, making it illegal to use on smartphones. An order from the House requires all mobile phone owners to not use the app or delete it from their phones if installed.
About the countrywide TikTok ban
ByteDance, the Chinese company that created TikTok in 2016, has come under fire from federal authorities who fear that the app poses a security concern since it allows China to access sensitive American data. In addition to the 28 states that have already banned the app, a federal prohibition will make it illegal for government employees to install or use the app on state-issued devices.
Last month, President Joe Biden approved a $1.7 trillion plan that contained a clause to ban the software on any smartphones within the executive branch. However, this ban did not extend to members of Congress or their staff. The No TikTok on US Devices Act will illegalize access to the app nationwide. However, it could face resistance from a Congress that is divided on the issue.
What led to this nationwide ban?
TikTok has been under scrutiny for threatening national security for a while now. Last year, the app faced heavy fines for breaching data protection laws. It has since been involved with the US Department of Justice to discuss national security issues. According to earlier allegations, ByteDance breached the privacy of at least two American journalists and a few others closely associated with them.
TikTok strongly disputed the allegations from last October, claiming that the app plans to monitor certain US users using their precise location data. To address worries that Chinese-based staff could acquire access to US information, the company stated in June that it had begun redirecting user information through Oracle.
How do you feel about this ban? Could apps really be a serious threat to our safety? Let’s start a discussion below.
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