espionage accusations against TikTok in the United States they are raising more and more temperatures. In the last few hours, it was Rob Joycethe head of cybersecurity for the National Security Agency (NSA), who charged against the popular video application and assured that it is a strategic danger capable of generating long-term damage.
In fact, Bloomberg reports that the official described the platform as China’s “Trojan horse” to influence the American public. The expert also said that TikTok does not represent a tactical threat immediately, but that the effects of its operations could be seen in the next 5 to 20 years. That is why he considered that the White House should monitor ByteDance from now on, to avoid a serious security incident.
Why would you let the Trojan horse into the fortress? Why would you bring that capability to the US when the Chinese could manipulate the data we see to include the divisive material they want to present to our population, or remove the things that paint them in a bad light that they don’t want exposed? to the American people?” Joyce said at a conference in California.
The words of the head of cybersecurity of the NSA They add to a long list of accusations against TikTok in the United States. The possibility of blocking the application in North America seems to be gaining traction, despite the attempts of the social network to ensure that China did not and will not have access to the personal information of its users.
The NSA also charges against TikTok
The American hostility against TikTok was definitively in evidence last week, during the hearing of Shou Chew, CEO of the company, before the Energy and Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives. The executive was interrogated by legislators for more than 5 hours, while he tried to defend the operation of his platform.
During his presentation, Chew was unaware that China had access to the personal data of TikTok users in the United States. Furthermore, when asked if ByteDance, his parent company, had spied on US citizens, the executive’s response was not convincing. “I think ‘spying’ is not the right way to describe it”said the executive.
The CEO of TikTok maintained that his platform today has security measures that far exceed those of its Western competitors, such as Instagram or YouTube. However, that did not calm the spirits of the Committee either. Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers was among the most drastic when addressing the businessman. “His platform of him should be banned. And today I’m counting on you to say anything to avoid it», she shot.
It is not yet known what will happen to TikTok in the United States. The company has introduced an initiative called Project Texas, which consists of a 100% cloud infrastructure provided and managed by Oracle, to store the data of its North American users. In this way, the social network ensures that any type of interference or espionage by China would be impossible. But in the White House the agreement does not finish convincing.
In recent weeks, the possibility that TikTok could continue to operate in American territory has been considered. only if you cut ties with ByteDance. This would imply a potential sale to a buyer previously approved by the authorities, or an independence with its corresponding listing on the stock market. From China they have already stood up against this possibility.