Pompeo Says US Looking at Banning Chinese Social Media Apps

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late on Monday (local time) that the United States is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok.

“I don’t want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News.

US lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data, saying they were worried about Chinese laws requiring domestic companies “to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”

The app, which is not available in China, has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots in order to appeal to a global audience and has emphasized its independence from China.

Pompeo 's remarks also derive from rising US-China strains over the handling of the coronavirus epidemic, China's actions in Hong Kong, and a nearly two-year trade war.

TikTok, a short-form video app owned by China-based ByteDance, has recently been banned in India along with 58 other Chinese apps following a border clash between India and China.

Reuters reported late on Monday that TikTok would quit the Hong Kong sector within a few days, choosing to do so after China adopted a controversial new national security legislation for the semi-autonomous city.

Source: Reuters