The US President Donald trump has signed a decree, which prohibits any transactions with the owner of the popular app TikTok — Chinese company ByteDance. The White house said that the app, along with Chinese social network WeChat, is a threat to U.S. national security. The authorities consider that TikTok collects the personal data of Americans. According to experts, actions trump can be seen as a populist measure, “bordering on raiding”.
- Reuters
The US President Donald trump has signed a decree prohibiting any transactions with the company ByteDance, which owns the popular entertainment app TikTok. According to the owner of the Oval office, TikTok is a threat to U.S. national security. A similar decree, the American leader has signed in relation to the Chinese social network WeChat and its owner — Internet conglomerate Tencent.
“Dissemination in the United States mobile apps developed by companies in the people’s Republic of China and owned by them, continues to threaten national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States,” reads a document posted on the White house website.
The decree States that the TikTok app automatically gathers large amounts of user information, such as location data, browsing history, and search.
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“With this collection of information there is a risk that the Chinese Communist party can gain access to personal and proprietary information of Americans that will potentially enable China to track location of Federal employees and contractors, to compile a dossier of personal information for blackmail and to engage in corporate espionage”, — stated in the decree.
Documents in respect of the TikTok and WeChat enter into force 45 days after their signing.
In turn, the U.S. mission TikTok posted on its website a statement in which emphasized that the app is “never shared user information with the Chinese government did not censor the content according to his request.”
In TikTok believe that “this Executive order (trump. — RT) threatens to undermine the confidence of the business world to the United States ‘commitment to the rule of law, which served as a magnet for investment and stimulated economic growth for decades”.
Network pressure
Before the emergence of the decrees trump the restrictions against TikTok was introduced on the lines of the us Senate. The members of the upper chamber of Congress from both parties unanimously adopted a bill prohibiting Federal employees, including the parliamentarians, to use TikTok on government devices.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced the bill for consideration in March 2020, according to Forbes, but particularly relevant since it was after trump announced his intention to ban the use of the video platform TikTok throughout the United States.
- Reuters
- © Joshua Roberts
However, even before the adoption of the bill, the US state Department, the Department of homeland security, the Pentagon and the transportation security Administration has banned its employees to install the app on office phones.
It is worth noting that popular in USA TikTok called to check on the reliability even in 2019. Then senators Tom cotton and Chuck Schumer sent a letter to the office of the Director N. I. with a request to assess the application on the subject of personal data collection of US citizens and the possibility of its use as a tool of intervention in the upcoming presidential election.
At the beginning of July 2020, the U.S. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo stated that American authorities are very seriously considering banning the TikTok and other Chinese apps and social networks, especially after such a step India.
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Recall that in late June, the Indian authorities issued a decree about blocking 59 Chinese mobile applications, the list of which was headed by TikTok. Was also banned WeChat, UC browser, microblogging service Weibo, the mobile game Clash of Kings and a number of other applications. Indian authorities motivated their decision by the threat to national security and sovereignty of the Indian cyberspace.
American unit TikTok has repeatedly denied accusations from the administration of trump. CEO Kevin Meyer July 29, said that the social network is out of policy. According to him, TikTok remains safe platform for tens of millions of American families. Mayer also said that the company plans to create in the United States 10 thousand new jobs through business development.
However, despite objections and arguments from representatives of the video platform, July 31, trump announced the decision on its ban.
According to doctor of political Sciences Andrey manoylo, member of scientific Council at security Council of Russia, the American leader fears that the increasingly popular app TikTok can be used against him in the upcoming presidential elections.
“This is a tool that can prove to be a Pandora’s box for them. Google, Facebook, Twitter and all other networks also collect personal data, but that American social network, their servers are in the USA, while WeChat and TikTok are located in China. It’s one thing when data are collected and remain in its territory, the other — when you go to the country denoted by the enemy,” — said the analyst.
Economic issue
Experts say that the administration’s actions trump can be regarded as a new step in the trade and economic war with China, especially given the proposal of the President of the United States to American companies to buy business Chinese ByteDance with the statement trump made on 3 August — a few days after announced the intention to ban TikTok in the United States.
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- © Danish Siddiqui/Illustration
In the course of communication with journalists in the White House, trump said he was not against the application in the country, but only if it will fully redeem “a major American company” like Microsoft.
The date of completion of the transaction, he called the 15th of September — about the time will effect his decree on prohibition of TikTok in the United States.
In turn, Microsoft 2 Aug issued an official statement which confirmed that it is indeed in talks with ByteDance on buying applications, not only in USA but also in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and Europe. Recall that, according to Reuters, worldwide application used by about 500 million people, of whom 80 million are in the United States, the market value of the TikTok is estimated at approximately $50 billion.
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According to Andrey manoylo, the solution trump is a populist measure aimed at demonstrating the supposedly successful anti-American leader at the head of his administration with China.
“Now perhaps the Americans will be back on the platform Facebook, Google, YouTube, which will increase the capitalization of American companies in this sector. It is also possible that this decision could affect the discontent of the US intelligence as WeChat and TikTok badly hacked and are controlled by it,” said the political scientist in conversation with RT.
In turn, Director General of the political information Centre Alexei Mukhin in conversation with RT was more categorical in his assessment of the actions of the American President. According to him, the fact that trump has taken with respect TikTok, in the business world is called raiding.
“The logic of the American establishment in the last time not be an adequate assessment, because it is practically not. This process is difficult to call a legal, because it is not. Apparently, the US is not going to return to the legal field until you create for yourself a clear competitive advantage in all markets, including information”, — concluded the expert.