In order to “protect Montanans” from alleged Chinese spying, Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signed legislation on Wednesday banning Chinese-owned TikTok from functioning in the state. This makes Montana the first U.S. state to outlaw the well-known short video app.
TikTok poses a national security danger, according to FBI Director Chris Wray, who also noted that Chinese businesses are essentially forced to “do whatever the Chinese government wants them to in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government.”
Congressmen expressed dissatisfaction in March about the Chinese government’s “golden share” in ByteDance, which gives it control over TikTok.
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A Chinese government-affiliated business owns 1% of the ByteDance subsidiary Douyin Information Service, according to TikTok, which also claims that the ownership “has no bearing on ByteDance’s global operations outside of China, including TikTok.”
TikTok operations in the United States are a national security threat, according to FBI agent Wray, since the Chinese government may use video-sharing software to influence users or take control of their devices.
Among the dangers, according to Wray, is “the potential for the Chinese government to use [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations.”
Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency, expressed concern in March about the information TikTok gathers, the mechanism it uses to distribute it to users, and “the control of who has the algorithm.” He claimed the TikTok platform may facilitate extensive influence operations since it could “turn off the message” and actively influence users.
According to TikTok, it “does not permit any government to influence or change its recommendation model.”
A 2017 National Intelligence law, according to lawmakers, gives the Chinese government the power to compel ByteDance to divulge user information from TikTok.
According to TikTok, because it was founded in California and Delaware, it is governed by American laws and regulations. According to TikTok’s CEO, the company has never shared and will never share user information with the Chinese government.
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Eight states, including California and Massachusetts, initiated an investigation into TikTok’s potential participation in the harm to young people’s physical and mental health in March 2022. The focus of the inquiry is on how TikTok increases young users’ engagement, including how it purportedly lengthens their time on the network and how frequently they use it.
In August 2020, former President Donald Trump issued executive orders seeking to ban TikTok in the United States unless it was sold to an American company. The main reason cited for the proposed ban was the potential threat to national security posed by the app’s data practices. However, various legal challenges and negotiations delayed the implementation of the ban
I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.