(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) FCC Commissioner Brenden Carr addressed the national security risks of Chinese-owned TikTok, warning that there is no way the Biden administration can allow the app in the United States after FBI Director Christopher Wray’s warning concerning the platform.
On a broadcast of Fox Business Network’s Morning with Maria, Carr aired his analysis of the situation, pointing out the significance of the FBI’s concerns, the administration’s seeming ambivalence towards them and the significance of the timing.
“The Treasury Department is undergoing what’s called a CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) review of TikTok and a lot of people expect that review to be winding up in the next couple of weeks,” Carr explained.
“In fact, the New York Times recently leaked that there’s a preliminary deal already in place with TikTok that, according to the New York Times, the number two with the DOJ, Lisa Monaco, those familiar with her thinking, don’t think is tough enough on TikTok.”
Carr continued, explaining that considerable unease from the DOJ and the FBI combined with the upcoming release of the CFIUS report paints a worrisome picture for the future of TikTok.
“I have a hard time seeing how the Biden administration can credibly wind down that CFIUS review in a way that allows TikTok to keep operating,” he concluded.
Other countries have raised concerns over the security of the social media platform.
The United Kingdom levied a $29 million fine against the company for failure to protect children’s privacy when using the platform.
Investigators found that the platform may have processed the data of children under 13 without parental consent.
TikTok has also allowed irresponsible content on the platform, with some users posting tips on how to cross into the United States via the southern border.
There have long been suspicions of Chinese influence over American elections through the app, which offers an election center meant to “counter misinformation.
