China’s authorities may use TikTok to manage information on hundreds of thousands of American customers, FBI Director Christopher Wray informed a US Senate listening to on Wednesday, saying the Chinese language-owned video app “screams” of safety issues.
Wray informed a Senate Intelligence Committee listening to on worldwide threats to US safety that the Chinese language authorities may additionally use TikTok to manage software program on hundreds of thousands of gadgets and drive narratives to divide Individuals over Taiwan or different points.
“Sure, and I’d make the purpose on that final one, particularly, that we’re unsure that we’d see lots of the outward indicators of it taking place if it was taking place,” Wray mentioned of issues China may feed misinformation to customers.
“It is a instrument that’s finally inside the management of the Chinese language authorities – and it, to me, it screams out with nationwide safety issues,” Wray mentioned.
The White Home backed laws launched on Tuesday by a dozen senators to offer President Joe Biden’s administration new powers to ban TikTok and different foreign-based applied sciences in the event that they pose nationwide safety threats. The endorsement boosted efforts by quite a few lawmakers to ban the favored app, which is owned by Chinese language firm ByteDance and utilized by greater than 100 million Individuals.
Different high US intelligence officers together with Director of Nationwide Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and Nationwide Safety Company Director Paul Nakasone agreed on the listening to that TikTok posed a risk to US nationwide safety.
Nakasone on Tuesday expressed concern throughout Senate testimony about TikTok’s information assortment and potential to facilitate broad affect operations.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
