Trump administration considering TikTok ban as authorities review national security threat

United States President Donald Trump on Friday, July 31 said that his administration is considering imposing a ban on Chinese video-sharing application TikTok. The US officials have time and again raised concerns about the Chinese government tapping into private and personal data via cell phone apps.

Trump has now confirmed that the US government is ‘looking’ at TikTok ban in the country. When asked about possibly banning the Chinese application, the US President said, “We are looking, we may be banning TikTok". 

READ: US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin Confirms TikTok Under National Security Review

Trump’s comment comes after the US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on July 29 confirmed that TikTok was under national security review.

Mnuchin’s statement marked the first time that the US authorities acknowledged that the Chinese app was under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS). 

As TikTok has been under vigilance for a long time, it is believed that the CFIUS review could force Byte dance to unwind the deal or chose other ways to mitigate the threat. TikTok has yet not commented on the matter, however, it added that the company was working to create “best in class security infrastructure”.

READ: TikTok CEO Slams Mark Zuckerberg And 'copycat' Facebook; Says 'we Aren't The Enemy'

‘No TikTok on govt devices Act’ 

Several GOP lawmakers have also been outspoken about TikTok. Earlier this month, the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved the 'No TikTok on Government Devices Act', which will now go on the US Senate floor for a vote.

The bill would restrict federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices. The bill was brought in by Senator Josh Hawley amid growing fear of security threat posed by the Chinese-owned app.

US lawmakers fear that the personal data of millions of American citizens could fall into the hands of the Communist nation, where private companies are strictly regulated and are required to share information with the government. The bill was passed unanimously on July 22 by the Senate Committee. 

(With agency inputs; Image Credits - AP ) 

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READ: US Senate Committee Approves Bill To Ban TikTok On Federal Employees' Devices