It looks like the US government is prepping to ban TikTok, following in the footsteps of India, Russia, and several countries that have already banned the app.
Much to the chagrin of TikTok users across the US, rumors of a nationwide ban of the app have started making the rounds online.
US Attorney General, Merrick Garland and notable Justice Department officials held a news conference to tackle “national security issues” on October 24.
The country is currently chasing a “non-state actor” accused of criminal activity and coming up with detrimental influence schemes.
The situation intensified on November 1 when FCC commissioner Brendan Carr called for the app to be banned. As expected, the rumor mill has started churning out speculations surrounding a potential TikTok ban.
Mohammed Alyahya of the Hudson Institute claims he heard chatter that the US is gearing up for a nationwide TikTok ban.
He tweeted: “Hearing chatter that the US will ban TikTok today. Chatter that Huawei will be banned today followed by TikTok.”
To recap, commissioner Carr urged tech giants to remove TikTok from their app stores claiming it “presents a serious national security threat.”
In line with this, a Buzzfeed report indicated the Chinese government uses the application to access private data from US consumers.
Is The US Government Planning To Ban TikTok?
Major networks including USA Today, Reuters, FOX, Washington Post, and CNN covered the story at the time.
“U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and top law enforcement officials will announce U.S. action targeting ‘malign influence schemes and alleged criminal activity’ by a ‘nation-state actor,” Reuters reported.
“The 1:30 presser by AG Garland and FBI Director Wray is expected to detail some Chinese espionage cases, including against a pair of alleged intelligence agents who tried to gather inside info on the prosecution of Huawei. Nothing earth shattering,” NBC’s Ken Dilanian reports.
Carr has once again urged the government to impose a ban on the app. “I don’t believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban,” he claimed.
The US government hasn’t announced a ban on TikTok in the country, at the time of writing. Do you think TikTok will be subjected to a ban in the US?
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