TikTok mentioned on Monday the short-video sharing app now has 150 million month-to-month energetic customers within the US, up from 100 million it mentioned it had in 2020.
The Chinese language-owned app confirmed the determine forward of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s testimony set for Thursday earlier than the Home Vitality and Commerce Committee.
On Friday, six extra US senators backed bipartisan laws to provide President Joe Biden new powers to ban TikTok on nationwide safety grounds. Final week, TikTok mentioned the Biden administration demanded that its Chinese language homeowners divest their stake within the app or it might face a US ban.
The app faces rising stress in Washington together with calls to ban the app by many in Congress who concern its US consumer knowledge might fall into the fingers of China’s authorities. TikTok mentioned in September 2021 that globally it had greater than 1 billion month-to-month customers.
Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner, who’s cosponsoring laws to provide the administration extra powers to ban TikTok, mentioned at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast that he didn’t assume TikTok US knowledge was secure.
“This notional concept that the information may be made secure underneath (Chinese language Communist Celebration) regulation, simply would not, would not move the odor check.”
TikTok mentioned it has spent greater than $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 12,400 crore) on rigorous knowledge safety efforts, rejects spying allegations, and mentioned “if defending nationwide safety is the target, divestment would not remedy the issue: a change in possession wouldn’t impose any new restrictions on knowledge flows or entry.”
The brand new figures are an indication of the app’s extensive reputation particularly amongst youthful People. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo informed Bloomberg Information there could possibly be political ramifications to banning TikTok. “The politician in me thinks you are gonna actually lose each voter underneath 35, perpetually,” she mentioned.
Some TikTok content material creators will come to Washington this week to make the case why the app shouldn’t be banned.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
