TikTok ban necessary due to national security concerns
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has stated that the Chinese short video sharing platform, TikTok, poses a threat to US national security and that action must be taken to stop it. TikTok CEO, Zhang Yiming, attended a hearing at the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.
During another committee meeting on the same day, Blinken emphasized the need to take action to prevent TikTok from threatening US national security, and stated that the US State Department has already banned the use of TikTok on federal devices. He also suggested that TikTok should be separated from its parent company, ByteDance, to prevent any further risks to US national security.
While Blinken did not specify whether a complete ban on TikTok, prohibiting all Americans from using it, was necessary, the issue of TikTok ban has been a contentious one. Some politicians and government officials have called for a complete ban on TikTok in the US, citing concerns about data privacy and the potential for the Chinese government to access user data through TikTok.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson, Gao Feng, has also spoken out against a TikTok ban, stating that if the US forces the sale of TikTok, it will seriously damage the confidence of Chinese investors in investing in the US, and that the Chinese government strongly opposes it. He also pointed out that any sale or divestment of TikTok would involve issues of technology export, which must be done in accordance with Chinese law and approved by the government.
