National security officials are wary of the potential influence of popular social media app TikTok due to its vast global reach. General Paul Nakasone, head of the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, voiced his worries over the app's ability to shape public opinion by either suppressing or promoting certain videos during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Officials have long expressed concern that TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could collect data and enable Chinese government surveillance. As a response, the White House issued a directive for US federal agencies to remove TikTok from government-issued devices within 30 days. There is a major policy debate in Washington on what to do about the app, especially since it's so popular among American youth.
TikTok has denied the allegations and called on the Biden administration to finalize a national security deal that would allow the app to continue operating in the US in exchange for greater US government visibility into how it collects and stores data on Americans. A spokesperson from the app said they have been working with the US government to address national security concerns.
House lawmakers have pushed legislation that could effectively force the Biden administration to impose an outright ban on TikTok, but that bill is unlikely to become law. Meanwhile, a bipartisan Senate bill is expected to give the Commerce Department authority to develop mitigation measures, up to and including a ban, to address the risk posed by foreign-linked technologies.
Overall, national security officials are wary of TikTok's potential influence due to its global reach. While the app has denied the allegations and is working with the US government to address national security concerns, both the House and Senate are looking into potential legislative measures that could be taken to mitigate the risk posed by the app.