After India, U.S Might Also Ban TikTok & Other Chinese Social Media Apps

Yesterday, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was "considering" banning Chinese social networking apps, including TikTok.

“I don’t want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News.

US lawmakers are raising national security concerns over how TikTok treats user data, when it may be forced “to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”

Meanwhile, TikTok itself is not released in China. The app is currently seeking to get rid of its Chinese roots to become more appealing to global users, as well as emphasize its independence from the Chinese government.

Pompeo's comments came at a time when US-China tensions were increasing due to China's handling of the recent coronavirus pandemic as well as its moves in Hong Kong and the trade war lasted nearly 2 years between these two economic powers.

Early this month, the Indian government announced that it would ban 59 apps stating privacy concerns and those apps were engaging in activities that threatened the "national security and defense of India." To be more specific, those concerns appear to center around "security and data and breach of privacy" related to profiling and data mining. 

Among those apps, the most notable names are Xiaomi’s Mi Community, TikTok, WeChat, and Bigo live. After the order was announced, the company was said to voluntarily block Indian users from accessing the app. Tensions between India and China have been rising in the last few weeks after a deadly clash between troops on disputed Himalayan border territory left 20 Indian soldiers dead.