Major news outlets have verified that the latest viral social media application TikTok, is facing literal “deportation” from the US. The popular Chinese app has faced several allegations including data misappropriation.
In July of 2020, President Donald Trump was quoted to have said
“It’s a big business. Look, what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful.”
“We’re gonna keep looking at TikTok; we’re thinking about making a decision because there’s no question what the Big Tech companies are doing is very bad”
An executive order was made on August 6th, effectively banning TikTok unless it was sold to an American buyer. Top TikTok executives then filled a lawsuit against the president.
There’s no denying that the tussle is political and the popular application is caught up in what is essentially a tech war between China and the United States.
There are major concerns over the app’s data collection policies and according to the New York Times and Bloomberg, the app is collecting data from children under the age of 13 without any parental permission which is a reach of many privacy laws.
Secretary of state, Michael Pompeo asked that Americans do not download the app if they wanted to protect their private information from the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
The next question is, is TikTok Tactually collecting and storing personal data? Not according to the company, whose spokesperson tried to justify the allegations with the companies leadership.
“TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government nor would we do so if asked.”
But does TikTok have the ability to protect people’s information from the Chinese government?
India has already banned the app claiming that the app engaged in activities that were “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India’
A few short months after taking control of the company, CEO Kevin Mayer sent a memo to staff revealing his intent to resign, citing the political environment, He wrote:
“In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require and what it means for the global role I signed up for. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.”
Now, TikTok might be pulled from American app stores pretty soon as the partnership with Oracle that was supposed to save them from the November 12th deadline did not come through.
Other countries that have banned the app include Pakistan.
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