– TikTok is a big danger in terms of foreign influence, said committee leader Cathy Mcmorris Rodgers. – We must prevent apps like TikTok from spying on our citizens, she said. Today, TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew is at a hearing in the US Congress. The recurring question during the hearing is: Can the Communist Party or Chinese authorities control the video app? The TikTok boss rejects that. Tiktok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew at a hearing in the US Congress today. Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / AFP If the US bans the app, the company will lose its biggest market. At the same time, the Tiktok boss says that some data from the US is still available in China. The director also received many questions about the content. Gus Bilirakis, a member of the House of Representatives showed a video with several people struggling with mental health. – Their technology literally leads to death, said Bilirakis. Denies that they are agents China owns one percent of the parent company Bytedance. At the same time, they have more rights than the percentage indicates. Several politicians in the United States are concerned that data from American TikTok users could end up with the Chinese authorities. – Bytedance is not an agent for China or any other country. TikTok has never shared, or been asked to share, US user data with Chinese authorities, Chew said today. Several countries have moved to ban politicians and government employees from having the app on their official mobile phone. Photo: Thomson Reuters (Do not use this version of the image) More than 100 million Americans use the app, which was also tried to be banned in the US by former president Donald Trump in 2020. He was stopped by the judiciary. Worldwide, TikTok claims to have over a billion users. – It’s sick, I think he should keep TikTok. His thing with China shouldn’t ruin it for us, says American Z’yanna Gillespie whom news met in Washington. She talks about US President Joe Biden wanting to ban TikTok from being downloaded to US mobile phones. – Reminders of a spy app There have also been discussions about TikTok in Norway. No ministers, state secretaries or political advisers should have TikTok or Telegram on their mobiles. Today it also became known that the Storting prohibits their representatives from having the apps on their mobile phones. Elisabeth Haugsbø is an IT expert and says she would never download the app. What is dangerous about TikTok? Is it a spy app for China, or is it a harmless app where you can post dance videos and share food tips? Several countries are introducing bans on TikTok. What are they so afraid of? – For me, it reminds me too much of a spy app, says Haugsbø. She believes the video app asks for too much information than you think is necessary. – When I read the contract with TikTok, I thought: This is a bit special. It collects a lot of technical information about the mobile. Among other things, TikTok can see your transactions, content of messages you send via TikTok and it collects information about how you write. – Why do they need to know how you move your fingers over the keyboard? What will it be used for? IT expert Elisabeth Haugsbø believes that TikTok resembles a spy app. TikTok is not the first technology giant that has had to be consulted. In 2018, Facebook CEO Zuckerberg had to explain himself in a major privacy scandal after Cambridge Analytica gained access to several million accounts. – Can you trust Facebook more than TikTok and the Chinese? – I would say that you should not trust anyone. When it comes to trusting someone more than others, you tolerate more from a country that is in alliance with the West than a country that is not, says Haugsbø.
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The TikTok boss rejects Chinese spying accusations – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
