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Trump plans to ban TikTok as Joe Biden's staff told to delete it amid fears of China using app to spy on US

'We're looking at TikTok, we're thinking about making a decision,' Trump said, adding that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US was looking into TikTok
UPDATED JUL 29, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

President Donald J Trump is considering banning the social media app TikTok amid rumors that the Chinese can use it to spy on Americans. "We're looking at TikTok, we're thinking about making a decision," he told reporters in the South Lawn on Wednesday, July 29, before leaving the White House for a day trip to Texas.

The POTUS was accompanied by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who also spoke on the matter. He said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is tasked with reviewing deals by foreign acquirers for possible national security risks was looking into TikTok. He added that the committee will be briefing the president of their review later this week. 

Trump's announcement regarding the presently-famous app for viral video content came after former vice president Joe Biden's presidential campaign banned staffers from using the same. In a memo on Monday, Biden's general counsel, Dana Remus, ordered people working for the campaign of the Democratic presidential nominee to delete TikTok from both their personal and work phones and "refrain from downloading and using TikTok.'' Also, as an unusual step for a presidential campaign, the memo also prohibited staff from trading individual stocks which are not approved by the campaign’s general counsel. 

There is also the 'No TikTok on Government Devices Act' sponsored by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. As part of a $741 billion defense policy bill, the House of Representatives voted in favor of barring federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices. It is currently up for a vote in the Senate. Hence the bill is a step away from becoming a law in the United States.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)

Government agencies including the Transportation Security Administration and companies like Wells Fargo have already instructed their employees to delete TikTok from their work phones.

TikTok, which was originally used to create short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos, has become immensely popular among the millennials and the GenZ population across the world, U.S. regulators and lawmakers who fear their personal information could fall into the hands of  Chinese government officials. China introduced a law in 2017, according to which, companies have an obligation to cooperate in the country's national intelligence work. As a result, many politicals experts think that it would not be far-fetched to believe Beijing could force TikTok's Chinese owner to turn over user data. Hence, TikTok is facing regulatory challenges across the globe. 

The Trump administration is also considering a broader ban on TikTok and other Chinese-linked apps and as such, the action may be imminent. Top officials in the government, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressed concern for users of the app, a large percentage of whom are aged between 16 and 24 years. 

TikTok spokeswoman Jamie Favazza said the company team in the U.S. had prioritized the promotion of a safe app experience that protects users' privacy. "Millions of American families use TikTok for entertainment and creative expression, which we recognize is not what federal government devices are for," she said. 

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