President Donald Trump has advised columnists he will be pushing to boycott Chinese phone application TikTok from the US.
“As far as TikTok is concerned we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump stated in a recent interview
Trump didn’t indicate whether he will action the ban through an Executive Order or use another avenue.
“Well, I have that authority. I can do it with an executive order.” Trump said.
Pundits state TikTok, which the Chinese-based organization ByteDance possesses, attacks the security of its clients, possibly passing on information—including GPS pings, processor IDs & IP’s —to the Chinese government. What’s more, TikTok recognizes a portion of these cases in its security strategy, saying it can “automatically collect certain information from you when you use the Platform, including internet or other network activity information such as your IP address, geolocation-related data … unique device identifiers, browsing and search history.”
TikTok Respond.
A TikTok representative revealed to reporters that the application provided employment to the States and stood by its privacy policy which protects its users.
“We’ve hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the U.S.,” the representative said in an announcement. “Our $1 billion creator fund supports U.S. creators who are building livelihoods from our platform.
“TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access,” the announcement said. “TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users’ privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.”
Microsoft declined to remark on the discussions.
“While we don’t remark on bits of gossip or hypothesis, we are positive about the drawn out accomplishment of TikTok,” TikTok said in an announcement Friday.
The popularity growth of TikTok in the U.S. has incited the President to examine the application.
TikTok Executive Kevin Mayer distributed an open letter saying his organization is “not the enemy,” and “We are willing to take all necessary steps to ensure the long-term availability and success of TikTok. The one thing that will not change is our commitment to ensuring that TikTok remains a safe and secure platform for the tens of millions of American families that derive joy from it.”.