Why does the United States want to ban TikTok?
Al JazeeraMontana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed legislation to ban China-based TikTok from operating in the state to “protect Montanans” from alleged Chinese surveillance, making it the first US state to ban the popular short-video app. Here is a detailed list of allegations of the United States against the company and its parent, ByteDance: TikTok management is beholden to the Chinese government FBI Director Chris Wray said in November that TikTok poses a national security risk, adding Chinese companies are required to essentially “do whatever the Chinese government wants them to in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government”. TikTok could be used to influence Americans Wray has also said US operations of TikTok raise national security concerns because the Chinese government could harness the video-sharing app to influence users or control their devices. Risks include “the possibility that the Chinese government could use to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations”, Wray told US lawmakers. National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone said in March he was worried about the data TikTok collects, the algorithm used to disperse information to users, and “the control of who has the algorithm”.