The thread holding the sword of Damocles over TikTok continues to shrink. The director of the FBI in turn believes that he sees this network as a “problem for national security”, while the American Congress is preparing to vote on a law which will prohibit the application in the United States, unless it cuts ties with China.
The social network is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which “has obligations to the Chinese government,” Christopher Wray said in an exclusive interview with NBC News, which the channel plans to broadcast Tuesday evening (in the night of this Wednesday in Paris).
Some 170 million users in the United States
“When Americans think about the power, access, (technological) capabilities and control that TikTok has, they need to ask themselves what they think about that same power, access, capabilities and control in the hands of the parent company of TikTok, and therefore of the Chinese government and, ultimately, the Chinese intelligence services,” he detailed according to an NBC press release.
The House of Representatives approved a huge aid package for Ukraine on Saturday, which also includes funds for Israel, Taiwan and an ultimatum to TikTok. The Senate is expected to quickly adopt this text supported by both President Joe Biden and elected officials from both sides. It provides for a ban on the application of short and entertaining videos in the United States, unless ByteDance resells its shares. The platform is accused of allowing Beijing to spy on and manipulate its 170 million users in the United States.
The Chinese government is “currently trying to steal our artificial intelligence and hack American technologies every day,” added Christopher Wray. The FBI director therefore said he was “particularly concerned about the risks that TikTok presents, given China’s well-known strategy”.
A network already in the sights of the Trump presidency
The ultra-popular application, which grew spectacularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been in the crosshairs of American authorities for years. Several attempts to ban it, under Donald Trump then under Joe Biden, have failed.
“It is regrettable that the House of Representatives is using the pretext of significant foreign and humanitarian aid to once again push through a proposed ban that would violate the free speech rights of 170 million Americans,” a TikTok spokesperson reacted Thursday, before the House vote.