On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray visited Capitol Hill, and told lawmakers that if TikTok is not stopped, it could be detrimental to national security.
See also: TikTok denies it could be used to track citizens in the US
“Obviously, the FBI has national security concerns about TikTok,” Wray said during his testimony to Congress on Tuesday.
“There's a risk that the Chinese government could use it in a number of ways. It could use it to control the data collected on millions of users or manipulate the recommendation algorithm for influencer businesses. Or it could simply take control of the devices that use the software..”
The US government's Committee on Foreign Investment is currently investigating TikTok, a China- with hundreds of millions of users worldwide. The committee is tasked with reviewing foreign investments that could pose a threat to national security.
The managers have been in talks with CFIUS to allow it to continue operating in the US without having to sever its ties with Chinese parent company ByteDance.
See also: TikTok's in-app shopping feature launches in the US
Several politicians on Capitol Hill have demanded that TikTok sever all ties with ByteDance and Beijing, or it will no longer be allowed to operate in the United States.
Wray said China steals Americans' personal and business data more often than any other foreign entity.
Wray said China's massive hacking is the largest in the world. They have stolen more data from Americans than any other nation combined.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to share short videos of themselves talking or doing various skits. The app also offers users a variety of filters and effects that they can use to make their videos more fun and creative. TikTok videos are usually up to 3 minutes long, which makes them ideal for watching.
See also: Gen Z: TikTok influencers are great at financial advice
In 2020, then-President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok in the US if ByteDance did not sell its subsidiary app to an American company.
After TikTok reached an agreement with Oracle to store all user data in the US, Trump withdrew his previous threat to ban the app.
