The FBI warns that Chinese video platform TikTok could sift through the data of millions of Americans. The app raises several security concerns, according to the head of the investigative agency, Christopher Wray, on Wednesday at the US Senate Intelligence Committee.
Beijing can use TikTok to control software on millions of devices. In addition, public opinion can be influenced by the dissemination of partisan or manipulative messages.
A bipartisan bill was introduced to Congress by a dozen senators on Tuesday. The law aims to give Commerce Minister Gina Raimondo the power to ban TikTok and similar foreign providers due to security risks. The app is used by over 100 million Americans.
Because of its proximity to the Chinese government, TikTok has been criticized around the world. Numerous states fear that the People’s Republic could take control of users’ personal data and manipulate public opinion. Because of this, they banned the use of TikTok or plan to do so. An overview:
European Union
EU Commission employees cannot use TikTok on company devices in the future. This also applies to private devices that have been registered with the Commission. The measure aims to protect the Commission from cyber threats.
USA
Employees of all US federal agencies must delete the video application from their work phones within 30 days. The US House of Representatives, the White House and State Department, as well as the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security have previously banned its use. Additionally, a law is being planned that would allow TikTok to be banned from all smartphones in the US.
More than half of US states have also banned TikTok on the company’s cell phones. Several universities in the country are also blocking access to the video platform through their WLAN networks.
Canada
The Canadian government has banned TikTok from all company cell phones because of “unacceptable risks”, although so far there is no concrete evidence that the data was leaked. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not ruled out further action against the app.
Germany
Federal Press Office employees are prohibited from using TikTok on their official devices. According to a media report, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has verified possible risks of the app. The results of this investigation were not initially made public. According to his own statements, the data protection commissioner (BfDI), Ulrich Kelber, advised all ministries and federal authorities not to install the application on company cell phones as early as 2021.
India
India already banned TikTok and dozens of other apps from Chinese companies across the country in 2020, as tensions with the neighboring state over the disputed Himalayan border flared again. He justified the decision with risks to national security. The Beijing government sees this as a violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and is calling for the ban to be lifted.
Taiwan
The island nation banned TikTok and some other Chinese state-owned smartphone apps in late 2022. The government has also launched an investigation into alleged illegal actions. The Beijing government considers Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory.
afghanistan and pakistan
In Afghanistan, the banning of TikTok and the fighting video game PUBG by the Chinese company Tencent is being discussed. According to the Taliban, these programs are “distracting” the country’s youth.
The government of Pakistan has temporarily banned TikTok at least four times. The most recent ban for allegedly immoral and offensive content ended in November 2022.
And in Austria?
The Austrian Interior Ministry employees’ mobile phone service has mobile device management, i.e. a kind of container solution that strictly separates stored data and applications. This is to ensure that no access to official information is possible. Due to the concerns of the EU Commission, however, the Federal Ministry of the Interior is also examining whether further measures are necessary.
Meanwhile, the politicians’ accounts continue as Johannes Rauch, Karoline Edtstadler, Alma Zadic, Claudia Plakolm and many more still preserved.
TikTok denies it but admits insight
TikTok’s own owner, Bytedance, denies these allegations. According to TikTok, the data centers would be “totally outside of China”. However, TikTok admitted that Chinese employees also have access to EU or US data.
According to research by the US media company Buzzfeed, which is based on recordings of internal meetings on TikTok, there must also be a back door in the app that allows access to “everything”. Security department officials reportedly told meetings that “China sees everything” and that there is a “master administrator” based in Beijing.
Certain tools have functions “that nobody knows what they’re for,” according to the recorded meetings Buzzfeed relies on. Furthermore, it emerged last year that Chinese officials had accessed data on US journalists.
Facial data and contacts
In addition to the pure content of the videos, this is also about biometric features such as facial geometry and, similar to Facebook or other social media services, the user’s contacts and links to other accounts.
As a result, TikTok knows which mobile number and email address are stored, who has which and how many followers on Instagram, and can thus build a network of contacts for individual users. These connections are often more valuable than the videos themselves.
Bytedance emphasizes that the data would be deleted immediately after matching with the contact details in the private phone. Of course, this cannot be verified.