Photo: AFP
Back in April a law was passed by Congress that gave TikTok nine months to sever ties with ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent company, or it would lose access to app stores and web-hosting services in the United States. That date is rapidly approaching as TikTok has until January 19th to be sold with their last hope being a hearing with the high court on January 10th. ABC News Correspondent Steven Portnoy talked to the WOR Morning Show about the app and why the American Government is so concerned.
“The fear has been expressed by the executive and legislative branches that ByteDance could be directed by the Chinese Government to spy on individual users,” Portnoy tells host Larry Mendte, and co-host Laura Curran. “The other fear is that ByteDance at China’s direction could cram down certain messages through the algorithm to influence American politics.”
Portnoy says that the reach TikTok has is part of the reason for concern: “170 million people on their phones have this app that is, according to the US Government, a potential national security threat.”
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