RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) An FCC commissioner wants the TikTok app taken out of App stores and hes giving the two big tech giants of Apple and Google just days to remove it.
TikTok videos flood the internet as more than 100 million Americans useit, but FCCCommissioner BrendanCarrsays thats got to end.He called it an unacceptable security risk.
Carrhas sent letters to Apple and Google, which he posted on Twitter, saying he wants the TikTok app removed from app stores by July 8.
Carrsays TikTok is not just another video app. Thats the sheeps clothing.
He claims TikTok harvests swaths of sensitive data that are being accessed in Beijing
In Carrs tweet, he cites a recent Buzz Feed Reportas the basis for his claims.
Data harvesting isnt new. Its been going on for years.
Apple, Microsoft, Google, they all have lots of data points onus,said Cybersecurity Expert Craig Petronella. Theresthousands of data points oneveryone.All your movements, with all the sensors on your phone its all being cataloged.
ButCarrfears the data harvesting by TikToks parent company,ByteDance,is being done under the direction of the Chinese government.
He claims ByteDance isrequired by Chinese law to comply with that countrys surveillance demands.
For its partByteDancecalls the BuzzFeed allegations misleading saying:
We employ access controls like encryption and security monitoring to secure user data.
But what happens if TikTok is no longer available? Security experts say that could lead to biggerproblems.
If its abandoned, no patches areavailable, saidPetronella. There will be holes discovered and exploitedpublicized over the internet and theres a risk of compromise.
Back in 2020, President Trump issued this executive order banning TikTok and its companion app We Chat.
Those executive orders were later rescinded by PresidentBiden, butthat wasnt the end of it.
Last year President Biden told the Commerce Department tolook intoTikTok.
The Department says thatreviewis still underway.
Original post:
TikTok is a security risk, but will it be removed from app stores? - CBS17.com
