TECHNOLOGY titans have been pressured by a government official to remove TikTok from their app stores.
A representative from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said TikTok is “an unacceptable national security risk”.
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FCC Commissioner Brendon Carr wrote directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google boss Sundar Pichai calling on them to restrict access to TikTok.
“TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance – an organization that is beholden to the Communist Party of China,” Carr wrote in the letter, which he also posted to his Twitter account.
Carr cites numerous incidents of TikTok bypassing privacy guidelines and believes China could be harvesting user data for “espionage” activities.
A 2021 bill passed by the United States Senate barred officials from installing the app on government-issued devices.
“There is ample precedent for removing TikTok from the app stores,” Carr wrote, citing the past removal of an app that utilized a server in China.
Buzzfeed News quoted a source from TikTok’s Trust and Safety department saying “Everything is seen in China.”
The companies have been instructed to provide statements that explain how TikTok’s alleged data sharing with the Chinese government would not violate their app stores’ code of conduct by July 8.
TikTok told CNBC “We employ access controls like encryption and security monitoring to secure user data, and the access approval process is overseen by our US-based security team,” in a statement responding to Carr’s letter.
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The Washington Post reported that the FCC does not have authority over app stores and Carr cannot “singlehandedly” dismantle TikTok in the US.
TikTok survived a direct showdown with the US government in 2020 when then-President Trump attempted to ban the app by Executive Order.
The FCC is chaired by Jessica Rosenworcel, who is the first woman to serve the role.
Carr is the senior Republican among the commissioners and was nominated by President Trump.
