“Modern Trojan horse”: US government warns again about Tiktok

The US government has again identified Tiktok as a potential risk to national security. “We are concerned about the collection of data from Americans and the potential risk to national security,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday, referring to efforts to ban Tiktok in the United States.

The Foreign Affairs Committee in the US House of Representatives introduced a bill on Wednesday that would allow President Joe Biden to ban Tiktok in the US. “Tiktok is a modern day Trojan horse of the Chinese Communist Party used to monitor and exploit Americans’ personal information,” said committee chairman, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul. However, the proposal is not yet law. It must first be voted on in the plenary of parliament before it can be presented to the senate.

Tiktok said such a law would have a significant negative impact on the free speech of the millions of Americans who use and love Tiktok.

The White House had banned a Chinese company’s social media app on government cell phones on Monday. Similar prohibitions apply to members of the House of Representatives and employees. Several states and the US military have also issued similar regulations in the past.

Beijing criticized the ban. State Department spokeswoman Mao Ning said the US should “end the unjustified repression of relevant companies and create an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for companies from around the world.” (sda/dpa)