Chinese apps ban: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late on Monday that the United States is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok.
“I don’t want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News.
U.S. lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data, saying they were worried about Chinese laws requiring domestic companies “to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”
The app, which is not available in China, has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience and has emphasized its independence from China.
Pompeo’s remarks came at a time when the tensions between the US and China have heightened over the way Beijing handled the COVID-19 outbreak, the Asian country’s actions in Hong Kong and an around two-year trade war.
Last week, Pompeo had welcomed India’s ban on 59 Chinese apps, saying: “We welcome India’s ban on certain mobile apps that can serve as appendages of the CCP’s surveillance state. India’s ‘clean app’ approach will boost India’s sovereignty, will also boost India’s integrity and national security as the Indian government itself has stated.”
While briefing reporters in Washington, Pompeo had also hailed the action taken by US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) head Ajit Pai against two Chinese technology companies.
“I applaud FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s for designating Huawei and ZTE as national security risks,” he had said.
India’s Electronics and Information Technology Ministry had last month banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, saying they paved the way for “elements hostile to national security and defence” to exploit them to “ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India”.
TikTok, a short-form video app owned by China-based ByteDance, was recently banned in India along with 58 other Chinese apps after a border clash between India and China.
Reuters reported late on Monday that TikTok would exit the Hong Kong market within days, deciding to do so after China’s establishment of a sweeping new national security law for the semi-autonomous city.
