Yep, called it, we spoke too soon. Though we didn’t mean to jinx this since our last piece on this topic, it could be that Tik Tok could be in for another wild ride as it faces another potential legal problem to stay operational in the US.
It seems that Tik Tok might be taking in smoke again, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr publishing an open letter calling on both Google and Apple to remove Tik Tok from their app stores due to Tik Tok’s ‘pattern of surreptitious data practices’, which specifically relates how it shares data with its China-based parent company.
No To Spyware
As Carr put it:
“Tik Tok is not what it appears to be on the surface. It’s not just an app for sharing funny videos or memes. That’s the sheep’s clothing. At its core, Tik Tok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data.”
Carr notes that Tik Tok tracks a range of data inputs while simultaneously accessing texts, images, and videos stored on your device’s clipboard. In 2020, when iOS 14 was introduced, certain users noted that the app was tracking their Clipboard content, with new iOS notifiers showing that Tik Tok was accessing their clipboard every few seconds. Amid various questions and why it would need to do so, Tik Tok simply replied that it would remove this element from the app. The fact that Tik Tok was disingenuously siphoning more user data underlined concerns that it indeed was being used to glean maximum insight into its users, hence leading to the present issue.
Carr further notes that bipartisan leaders in both the Senate and House have flagged their concerns about the app at different times, saying that there’s enough of a compelling case to have it removed from the US entirely, either via policy ruling or having both Apple and Google cut it off from their platforms.
The policy route has been tested, with roots dating to Donal Trump’s administration. Back when the blonde billionaire was head of state, he issued an Executive Order that would have forced the sale of Tik Tok into US ownership, but the legal grounding for such a move was never established. Likewise, newly elected US President Joe Biden also expressed his concerns regarding the app.
The Wrap
As outlined in Trump’s original EO, the key concern is Tik Tok’s Chinese ownership. In short, so long as Tik Tok remains under Chinese control, it remains a security threat. Though this latest push might just be noise, it does reawaken the goring idea that the Chinese are spying. With tensions growing between the US and China, the Biden administration is hesitant to take action, rightfully so in fear of making hasty and rash decisions that might only cause the situation to further escalate. Tik Tok is on the brink right now.
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