Although TikTok users consider the app harmless fun, a growing number of cybersecurity experts and elected officials aren’t so sure.
More than 86 million Americans use the social media app TikTok to create, share, and view short videos, featuring everything from cute animals and influencer advice to comedy and dance performances.
Concerned experts point out that TikTok’s parent company, the Beijing-based ByteDance, has been accused of working with the Chinese government to censor content and could also collect sensitive data on users.
To date, at least 14 of the United States have enacted legislation or created rules blocking government computers’ access to the app, and a bipartisan bill introduced in December in Congress seeks a ban on the app for all US users.
Christopher Wray, FBI director, spoke publicly on the issue last month, warning that control of the popular social media app is in the “hands of a government that doesn’t share our values.”
Cybersecurity expert Anton Dahbura, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, discusses the issue here:
Source: Johns Hopkins University
