Pompeo claims U.S. searching at banning Chinese social media apps, such as TikTok

(Reuters) – Secretary of Point out Mike Pompeo reported on Monday that the United States is “certainly on the lookout at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, suggesting it shared details with the Chinese federal government, a cost it denied.

“I really do not want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s some thing we’re seeking at,” Pompeo reported in an interview with Fox Information.

U.S. lawmakers have raised countrywide security concerns more than TikTok’s handling of user facts, declaring they ended up nervous about Chinese rules necessitating domestic corporations “to assistance and cooperate with intelligence get the job done managed by the Chinese Communist Get together.”

Pompeo said People in america need to be cautious in using the shorter-form video clip application owned by China-dependent ByteDance.

“Only if you want your personal information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Get together,” Pompeo remarked when requested if he would recommend men and women to down load TikTok.

In reaction to his feedback, TikTok advised Reuters it has by no means offered consumer knowledge to China.

“We have no greater priority than advertising a safe and sound and secure application working experience for our consumers. We have under no circumstances provided person data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked”, TikTok said in an emailed assertion.

The app, which is not offered in China, has sought to length alone from its Chinese roots to attraction to a world-wide viewers.

Pompeo’s remarks also come amid growing U.S.-China tensions over the dealing with of the coronavirus outbreak, China’s actions in the previous British colony of Hong Kong and a virtually two-year trade war.

TikTok was lately banned in India along with 58 other Chinese applications just after a border clash in between India and China.

Reuters documented late on Monday that TikTok would exit the Hong Kong market place in times, right after China’s establishment of a sweeping new nationwide stability law for the town.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of freedoms and considerably-achieving autonomy beneath a “one nation, two systems” formulation agreed with Britain.