TikTok Can Threaten America’s Safety, National Security, Says White House
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House March 16, 2023 in Washington, DC. (AFP)
The UK has announced banning the app on government devices while New Zealand will also ban the Chinese app
The White House said on Thursday said that the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok can threaten US safety and national security.
“We have expressed concerns over China’s potential use of software platforms that could endanger or threaten America’s safety and national security so that is the President concerned that is why we have called on Congress to take action,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said while responding to a question over the TikTok ban, according to ANI.
“We have seen a bipartisan piece of legislation that you know and have been covering, which is the President’s main priority. I am sure when it comes to their safety when it comes to their security and when it comes to our national security, those things are protected and so that has been the President’s focus over the last couple of years,” she added.
The statement comes after a group of Senators introduced the “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology” (RESTRICT) Act, which gives new powers to the US government to take action against technologies posing risk to the country.
“Look the bottom line is that when it comes to potential threats to our national security, the safety of Americans, privacy, we are going to speak out and we are going to be very clear about that and the Prez has been last 2 years and so we are asking Congress to act, to move forward with this bipartisan legislation that was the strict action that we just mentioned and we are going to continue to do so,” Pierre said.
TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens, but there’s concern in Washington that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China.
Western powers, including the European Union and the United States, have been taking an increasingly tough approach to the app, citing fears that user data could be used or abused by Chinese officials.
Congress and more than half of US states have so-far banned TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.
The UK has announced banning the app on government devices while New Zealand will also ban the Chinese app.
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