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Lawmakers ask US intelligence to assess if TikTok is a security threat – TechCrunch
Two lawmakers have asked the government’s most senior U.S. intelligence official to assess if video-sharing app TikTok could pose “national security risks” to the United States.
In a letter by Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), the lawmakers asked the acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire if the app maker could be compelled to turn Americans’ data over to the Chinese authorities.
TikTok has some 110 million downloads to date and has spiked in popularity for its ability to record short, snappy videos that are sharable across social media networks. But the lawmakers say because TikTok is owned by a Beijing-based company, it could be compelled by the Chinese government to turn over user data — such as location data, cookies, metadata and more — even if it’s stored on servers it owns in the United States.
Both Schumer and Cotton warn that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is “still required to adhere” to Chinese law.
“Security experts have voiced concerns that China’s vague patchwork of intelligence, national security, and cybersecurity laws compel Chinese companies to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” the letter, dated Wednesday, said. “Without an independent judiciary to review requests made by the Chinese government for data or other actions, there is no legal mechanism for Chinese companies to appeal if they disagree with a request.”
That same legal principle works both ways. U.S. companies have been shut out, or had their access limited, in some nation states — including China — over fears that they could be compelled to spy on behalf of the U.S. government.
See also: TikTok explains its ban on political advertising
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 27 2019, @06:58PM (1 child)
Perhaps not Instagram, but this doesn't seem organic. Companies in the US not only also can be, but are actively "compelled" to turn over user data to the government. The quotes there since they seem to be pretty happy with things like PRISM. Microsoft acts like a good boy in PRISM, Microsoft gets a $10 billion government contract. Nah, must just be a coincidence. What does national security even mean here? TikTok is for doinky viral crap. Perhaps China's going to fund an worldwide revolution led by cat-video-makers? You may try to fight back, but it will be helpless - you'll be overwhelmed into submission by their cuteness!
As an aside on that contract, these numbers are just getting so stupid. That $10 billion is for a decade long 'JEDI' cloud compute contract. $10 billion is enough to buy 10 million $1000 computers. Factor in an economy of scale and you could develop a computational platform providing tens of millions of $1000 computers, at cost. And that would be for permanent computational resources. Instead they're paying $10 billion to... rent... computing power? The 'cloud' never made any sense, and it continues to make less sense by the day. Yes, please make my entire business dependent on a third party who will now know I am dependent upon them, add a major point of failure for all of my confidential resources, and also let me pay a whole hell of a lot more than it'd cost me to do it on my own. Just brilliant!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 27 2019, @11:01PM
TikTok is a security threat to teen pussies.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/inside-the-world-of-online-child-sex-abusers-20191019-p53277.html [smh.com.au]
https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Parents-warned-online-predators-often-use-popular-teen-app-Tik-Tok-to-lure-children-506752631.html [wdbj7.com]