- The video app Tiktok may no longer be installed on official devices of the US House of Representatives.
- The app from the Chinese group Bytedance represents a security problem, as the administration reports.
- Bytedance recently admitted that employees had gained unauthorized access to data from US journalists.
The order anticipates a blanket ban on all US government devices that is expected to take effect as part of recently passed budget legislation.
FBI director Christopher Wray said in early December that his agency had security concerns about the app. The Chinese government controls the algorithm that suggests content to users. “That gives them the ability to manipulate the content and, if they want, use it for influence campaigns,” Wray said at a lecture at the University of Michigan. The Chinese government also has access to the cell phone software via the app. They can also steal user data and use it for espionage purposes.
Procured unauthorized data
Bytedance admitted last week that employees had gained unauthorized access to the data of two US journalists. The employees have since been fired, it said in an email that the Reuters news agency saw. China has denied any allegations of espionage.
Legend:
The “New York Times” had first reported on the process.
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The data was accessed in the summer in connection with an unsuccessful investigation into how information from the group had been leaked. A person familiar with the matter said four employees had been laid off, two in China and two in the US. Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a separate email to staff that the misconduct was inconsistent with the video service’s values.
Tiktok under pressure in the US
Tiktok is under pressure in the US: Last week, the US Congress passed a law banning the app on government cell phones. According to a report by US television broadcaster CBS, US states such as Texas, Georgia, Maryland, South Dakota, South Carolina and Nebraska as well as the US military have instructed their personnel to stop using the app on service devices.