Probably the newest TikTok challenge.
If the FBI wants to impress me, they can find out who is doing this stuff and make an example out of them.
They can also ban TikTok while they're at it. From what I've seen, it's nothing more than an app for people (kids, mostly) to do stupid stuff in an attempt to cause disruptions or become famous.
FYI...Recently, the US government launched a national security review of the video platform and app TikTok. The investigation follows the acquisition of the platform by the Chinese firm ByteDance in 2017.
The security concerns over TikTok bear many similarities to the privacy concerns about FaceApp that were widely reported last year. They are also an example of much broader worries about the impact and influence of Chinese companies (and the Chinese government) in the US and the fact that American SMBs fear cyber-attacks from China.
The Problems With TikTok
There are two big problems with TikTok, but both of them stem from the fact that the platform is now owned by ByteDance. Chinese companies are required – by law – to share information with their government, and this is the cause of both concerns.
The first is that US lawmakers fear the app could become a major tool for the dissemination of Chinese propaganda. Some sources have claimed that the Islamic State is posting propaganda on the app, and an investigation by The Guardian suggested that TikTok censors videos Beijing doesn’t like, including those about Tibetan independence.
The popularity of the app among American teens means that it potentially gives the Chinese government a bigger reach than ever before.
The second problem is that the app can potentially collect information on users in the US. Though many people in the US are more aware of cybersecurity than ever before and have taken steps to limit their susceptibility to this kind of spying, many still don’t understand how VPNs work or simply how much information they are sharing online.
Of particular concern is that military and governmental personnel also use the app, and this could provide the Chinese government with a “back door” for more sophisticated surveillance.
