The head of the US National Security Agency’s cybersecurity directorate on Monday said TikTok represents a “strategic issue” rather than an immediate “tactical” threat to the United States.
Speaking at a policy conference in Northern California, Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity for the spy agency, reiterated the agency’s earlier position that the Chinese-owned social networking app is akin to a “loaded gun” that the Chinese government could use to influence what information Americans see.
“Why would you bring the Trojan horse inside the fortress?” Joyce said at the conference.
Joyce said China could use its influence on TikTok to suppress information that might make the nation look bad to Americans.
His remarks echo earlier warnings by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone, who told US lawmakers that TikTok could be used to carry out sweeping influence campaigns.
US President Joe Biden has signaled his support for legislation introduced by a dozen Senators that would give him the power to ban TikTok and other foreign technologies if they pose a national security risk.
TikTok CEO Denies Sharing Data with Chinese Communist Party in US Congressional Hearing
Last week, members of the US House of Representatives grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about the app’s data-handling practices, reflecting a growing bipartisan concern over the app’s 150 million users in the US During his testimony, Chew repeatedly denied the app shares data or has connections with the Chinese Communist Party.
The number of children using TikTok and Snapchat rose last year in Britain, according to research published by media regulator Ofcom.
Around half of those aged between 3 and 17 use TikTok and Snapchat, figures collected as part of the watchdog’s annual survey of children’s and parents’ online attitudes showed.
The study found a slight increase in both apps’ popularity in the past year, With Tiktok now being used by 53% of children (up from 50%), and Snapchat by 46% (up from 42%).
Both companies have faced mounting pressure over user safety in recent months.
Various governments around the world have banned TikTok from official devices, citing anxieties over its relationship with the Chinese state, while Snapchat has been criticized for not removing more underage users from its platform.
Ofcom’s annual report on attitudes towards media found children’s usage of YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram remained steady (88%, 55%, and 41%, respectively), while the popularity of Meta’s Facebook platform declined (from 40% to 34%).
“Children of all ages reported choosing to watch ‘dramatic’ content in various forms when selecting TV shows and films to watch,” the report said.
Ofcom also found the proportion of 3 and 4-year-olds using Snapchat had risen to 17% in 2022, up from 12% the previous year.
A TikTok spokesperson said government bans were based on “fundamental misconceptions” around TikTok’s safety protocols.
A Snap spokesperson said criticism of its record on underage users misrepresented its efforts, saying it blocks and deletes tens of thousands of attempts by underage UK users to create Snapchat accounts monthly.
US President Joe Biden has signaled his support for legislation introduced by a dozen Senators that would give him the power to ban TikTok and other foreign technologies if they pose a national security risk.
A 10-point guide on TikTok CEO’s first appearance before US Congress
1) Republican and Democratic lawmakers hurled questions on a host of topics, including TikTok’s content moderation practices, how the company plans to secure American data from Beijing, and its spying on journalists.
2) Chew spent most of the hearing attempting to push back assertions that TikTok, or its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, are tools of the Chinese government.
3) He failed to answer uncomfortable questions about human rights abuses committed by China against the Uyghurs and seemed taken aback by a TikTok video displayed by one lawmaker that advocated for violence against the House committee holding the hearing.
4) TikTok CEO also reiterated the company’s plan to protect US user data by storing it on servers maintained and owned by the software giant Oracle. “Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country.”
5) “You expect us to believe that you are capable of maintaining the data security, privacy, and security of 150 million Americans where you can’t even protect the people in this room,” Republican Rep. Kat Cammack said after he played a TikTok video showing a shooting gun with a caption that included the House committee, with the exact date before it was formally announced.
6) The social media company said that the video has been removed on Thursday and banned the account that posted it.
7) Committee members also showed a host of TikTok videos that encouraged users to harm themselves and commit suicide. Many questioned why the platform’s Chinese counterpart, Douyin, does not carry the same potentially dangerous content as the American product.
8) Chew responded that it depends on the laws of the country where the app is operating. He said the company has about 40,000 moderators that track harmful content and an algorithm that flags material.
9) Republican representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, TikTok’s chief was unable to “100 percent guarantee” that Beijing was not influencing parts of the app. The CEO replied that the company is committed to firewalling U.S. user data from “all unwanted foreign access” and would keep content “free from any manipulation from any government.”
10) Another lawmaker from New Jersey said he wasn’t convinced that TikTok’s Security plans would work. “I still believe that the Beijing communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do,” he said, pushing back on what he said was TikTok’s attempt to portray itself as “a benign company that’s just performing a public service … I don’t buy it.”