FCC Commissioner Requests TikTok be Banned by Google and Apple

Brendan Carr cites claims that claim staff in Beijing have access to data on US TikTok users.

"TikTok is more than a simple video app. That is sheep's clothes, though." Brendan Carr requested that TikTok be removed from Apple's and Google's app stores in a letter that he addressed to both firms, and he included a copy of that letter in his tweet. The senior Republican commissioner of the organization makes reference to a recent BuzzFeed News investigation on stolen audio from 80 internal TikTok meetings. Based on the exposed audio recordings, it was discovered that ByteDance workers working in China frequently had access to the sensitive data of US users. In a meeting in September 2021, a representative of TikTok's Trust and Safety division allegedly said, "Everything is viewed in China." In another discussion, a director claimed that an engineer working in Beijing known only as "Master Admin" has "access to everything." A few hours before to BuzzFeed News's report's publication, TikTok declared that it has moved all US user traffic to a new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. It's a part of the business's efforts to allay concerns raised by US authorities on how it manages customer data from that nation. However, Carr also included a list of prior findings "concerning evidence and determinations regarding TikTok's data practices," which previously revealed that the app can get through Android and iOS security measures to access users' private information. Additionally, he mentioned TikTok's 2021 decision to pay $92 million to resolve dozens of lawsuits, most of which were brought by minors, accusing the company of illegally obtaining their personal data and selling it to advertising. Carr authored: Due to its enormous data collection and Beijing's ostensibly unrestricted access to that sensitive material, it is obvious that TikTok constitutes an intolerable national security danger. If they do not, he is giving Apple and Google until July 8th to justify their decision to keep the software in their stores. Despite this, only Carr signed the letter; it appears that none of the other FCC Commissioners were involved. We have contacted each party to request their formal position on the matter.