TikTok stated on Monday the short-video sharing app now has 150 million month-to-month lively customers within the US, up from 100 million it stated 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 Power and Commerce Committee.
On Friday, six extra US senators backed bipartisan laws to offer President Joe Biden new powers to ban TikTok on nationwide safety grounds. Final week, TikTok stated 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 strain in Washington together with calls to ban the app by many in Congress who concern its US consumer information might fall into the fingers of China’s authorities. TikTok stated 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 offer the administration extra powers to ban TikTok, stated at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast that he didn’t assume TikTok US information was secure.
“This notional concept that the info may be made secure underneath (Chinese language Communist Get together) legislation, simply would not, would not go the odor check.”
TikTok stated it has spent greater than $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 12,400 crore) on rigorous information safety efforts, rejects spying allegations, and stated “if defending nationwide safety is the target, divestment would not resolve the issue: a change in possession wouldn’t impose any new restrictions on information flows or entry.”
The brand new figures are an indication of the app’s huge recognition particularly amongst youthful People. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo instructed 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 stated.
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
