March 9, 2023
TikTok is under scrutiny once more, this time from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who warned Congress on Tuesday that the app poses a risk to U.S. national security.
Wray testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that China could use TikTok to control users’ devices, while also claiming that TikTok has the power to ‘drive narratives,’ ‘divide Americans,’ and so on.
Asked by Sen. Marco Rubio whether the Chinese government — if “ByteDance U.S. were willing to cooperate or forced to cooperate could use TikTok to control the data of millions of users,” Wray replied, “Yes.”
Wray explained to Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., that while TikTok is owned by ByteDance, an ostensibly private company, there is no distinction under Chinese Communist Party rule, as the government can still use the platform for data operations.
Wray stated that TikTok could control the software on the devices of millions of TikTok users and that TikTok could be used to drive narratives, such as dividing Americans. He added that “we’re not sure that we would see many of the outward signs of it happening, if it was happening.”
Wray’s warning is the latest in a series of moves by the U.S. government to crack down on Chinese-owned apps, particularly TikTok, which has grown to become one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. Former President Trump attempted to ban TikTok in the United States due to similar concerns about data privacy and national security, and the Biden administration is now following suit.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.
