a Mega-popular app for sharing videos TikTok can be blocked in the United States. The company, which owns a favorite toy of millions of teenagers – including Russian schoolchildren suspected of cooperation with the Chinese intelligence. In India TikTok already banned. Maybe to do the same in Russia?
In the United States is thinking about banning popular among teenagers all over the world – including the States themselves – a Chinese mobile app TikTok. “We take this very seriously. We are definitely considering this issue,” warned Secretary of state Mike Pompeo on air of TV channel Fox News.
The Department has noticed that would not like to comment further on the issue before it will make President Donald trump. But Pompeo reminded American authorities have already announced the Chinese smartphone manufacturers Huawei and ZTE threat to US national security. The Secretary added that people should download TikTok on your smartphone, only if they want their personal data was “in the hands of the Communist party of China”.
In the United States may prohibit TikTok
It is unlikely that 30 million American users TikTok, the lion’s share – up to 16 teenagers and a little older, their favorite app (90% use it daily) is associated with “red China” and geopolitical threats. TikTok, appeared on the market less than four years ago, is generally used to create short videos in the format of “me and my cat dancing to hip-hop”. We can assume that 56-year-old Secretary of state Pompeo addressed their “horror stories” of the older generation, for example, active Twitter user Trump.
On the other hand, to underestimate the TikTok is not worth it – for three months from the beginning of this year the program has been downloaded 315 million times around the world – 700 million users. By the way, in Russia, this recently came on the market the program has already reached the fourth place in popularity. And, in addition to “viral jokes”, TikTok can be used for less serious purposes. For example, a recent “challenge” – a mass campaign in TikTok was disrupted an election rally of the trump in Oklahoma. Students of social networks have reserved seats on the 19-seat stadium did.
Us authorities have long started to get close to TikTok in 2018, the service was accused of illegally collecting information from children under 13 without the consent of their parents, after which the company-developer was fined a record 5.7 million dollars. But no evidence that the social network merges the data of American schoolchildren, the Ministry of state security of the PRC, has not yet been reported.
In the developer’s guide – Beijing company ByteDance immediately reacted to the statement by Pompeo. The Chinese company has reminded that the project TikTok in charge of the us CEO, and stated that the company employs qualified special��leaves the security and protection of personal data.
“TikTok respects the privacy of our users,” said the company.
In Washington, ignore the argument ByteDance, assuring that servers and data centers outside of China, therefore, are not subject to the law of the people’s Republic. The data of American users, say in ByteDance are stored on the territory of the United States, and the backup is located in Singapore.
The lack of control of applications Chinese intelligence may indicate that in the near future the TikTok will make your app available to users in Hong Kong. The reason for taken last week in China, the law on national security in this special administrative region of the PRC.
The law, recall, gives the Chinese authorities broad powers to combat protests in Hong Kong. And foreign IT-companies, under the new rules, may be required through the Chinese court to provide officials and security officials of the PRC data of users of instant messengers and applications. On the other hand, the same companies threaten lawsuits outside of China – in the sink of user data. Unsurprisingly, Google, Twitter, Facebook and Telegram has stopped issuing data to the authorities of Hong Kong. But note again that have done likewise and the owners TikTok.
Anyway, TikTok was rejected not only in the United States. At the end of June, the Indian authorities blocked it and 58 Chinese apps due to their “harmful influence on the sovereignty and security of the country”. The decision was made on the basis of the obtained from the interior Ministry and the coordination center for the fight against cybercrime “comprehensive recommendations”. However, we note that the decision on the lock – coincidentally or not – was made after the clashes at the Chinese-Indian border in the Himalayas.
The political background is obvious in the statement Pompeo TikTok on a possible ban in the USA, believes state Duma Deputy Anton Gorelkin. “It’s part of the economic confrontation between China and the United States, which gradually develops into a political plane, the MP said in comments the newspaper VIEW. But the basis is still money. Therefore, they are beaten by large corporations each other, on monetary interests.
a Trying to limit Huawei, it did not quite work out. With TikTok easier, it’s just the Internet service, not the manufacturer of communication equipment”.
Deputy Gorelkin noticed the threat that was voiced by the head of the Department of state, “obviously at odds with the principles of freedom of speech and enterprise that the United States declare inviolable”.
“In the end, no crimes against the United States TikTok did not commit, the trial was not, so it is not clear what should block it,” he added.
“the Statement Pompeo Holy��ANO only TikTok popular among users in the United States. In Washington seriously trying to limit people’s access to information, so any new means of mass communication that originates outside the United States are trying to block or at least to discriminate. So it is with TikTok,” – said the newspaper VIEW former Deputy Minister of communications, the Director of the competence Center for import substitution in the field of information and communication technologies Ilya massukh.
App TikTok, in his opinion, is not much different from the others, which theoretically can “knock” on its users in various intelligence agencies.
“the Chinese are generally well-known disregard for the safety of personal information. But in General, the risk of application is exaggerated,” – said Massukh.
Coordinator of the safer Internet Centre, senior analyst at the Regional public center of Internet technologies (ROCIT) URVAN Parfentiev believes that the governments of the United States and India can truly be concerned about data security.
“I Can assume that, in the opinion of the governments of these countries, TikTok, there are problems with moderation and the ability to end the trafficking of certain types of content,” said Parfentiev newspaper VIEW.
However, experts believe that Olga Buzova, which recently became a “star” in the TikTok, will not have to close your account and the network. Ilya massukh believes that the Russians should not be afraid of “Chinese spy”, given the current close relations between Russia and China. The only thing we have to fear – TikTok can collect data about users for commercial purposes.
“it is Better to develop their applications. Russia’s potential is very high”, – concluded the expert.
