US threatens to ban social network, China fumes

LOIC VENANCE / AFP (FILES) This file photo taken on January 21, 2021, in Nantes, western France shows the screen of a smartphone displaying the logo of Chinese social network Tik Tok. – The UK on Thursday, March 16, announced a security ban on the Chinese-owned video app TikTok on government devices, in line with action by the European Union and the United States. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

LOIC VENANCE / AFP

The White House threatens the social network TikTok to be banned in the United States if it remains under the fold of China.

SOCIAL NETWORKS – Soon the end of TikTok in the United States? Two months after the banning of the social network in the administration in the face of the risks of espionage, Washington is now considering banning it throughout its territory as long as it remains under the bosom of China, reports the American press . Of the “unwarranted attacks”according to Beijing this Thursday, March 16, which challenges the White House to ” providing evidence “ certifying that the platform does represent an attack on its national security.

According to the wall street journal and other American dailies, the White House has issued an ultimatum: if TikTok remains under the control of ByteDance, its parent company based in China, it will be banned in the United States. A threat whose veracity was confirmed by TikTok, which indicated to Agence France presse (AFP) that the American government had indeed recommended the transfer of the application by its owner.

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Amid the intense Beijing-Washington rivalry over trade and new technology, many U.S. lawmakers and leaders say the app poses a national security threat. TikTok is accused by its critics of giving Chinese authorities access to user data around the world, which the application strongly denies.

For TikTok, the assignment is not the right solution

“The United States should stop spreading false information on data security issues, stop unwarranted attacks [contre TikTok] and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment” to foreign companies, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. Washington “has so far provided no evidence that TikTok threatens the national security of the United States”he underlined in Beijing, during a regular press conference.

The White House has already banned officials from federal institutions from having the app on their smartphones, under a law ratified in early January. TikTok stores US user data on servers located in the United States. The application admitted that employees based in China had access to it, but under a strict and limited framework, and not the Chinese government.

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“If the objective is to protect national security, a divestiture does not solve the problem: (the fact that the application) changes ownership will not mean the imposition of new restrictions on the flow of data or access to these »reacted a spokeswoman for TikTok, contacted by AFP.

“The best way to address national security concerns is to use US systems to protect user data in the country, with strong control and third-party verifications, which we are already in the process of set up “she added.

UK bans it on government devices

The European Commission and the Canadian government also recently banned the app from the work devices of their civil servants. This Thursday, the United Kingdom also announced the ban ” with immediate effect “ application on government devices due to security concerns.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping had condemned a few days ago the “policy of containment, encirclement and repression against China” set up by “Western countries led by the United States”. Remarks made against the backdrop of American attacks against Chinese technology flagships such as TikTok or telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei. The United States also imposes restrictions on semiconductor exports to Chinese companies.

The popularity of TikTok has exploded thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, beyond its original audience, teenagers. The app has over 100 million users in the United States. In recent years, it has overtaken YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in ” time spent “ by American adults on every platform, and is now hot on Netflix, according to Insider Intelligence.

The powerful American civil rights association ACLU has opposed the bills against the application, in the name of freedom of expression. In Europe, faced with the mistrust of public authorities, TikTok assured AFP in early March that it was working with a ” partner “ to ensure that the data of its users is secure.

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