[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] As the Biden administration in the United States moves toward allowing the Chinese social networking service (SNS) TikTok to continue operating within the U.S., both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have expressed concerns, Bloomberg reported on the 20th (local time).
According to the report, Republican Senator Tom Cotton (Arkansas) appeared on Fox News Sunday and pointed out that "not only the content uploaded to TikTok but all your personal information on your phone and other apps, including facial data such as your eyes looking at the phone, are uploaded," calling TikTok the most powerful surveillance program in the world.
Mark Warner, Democratic Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee (Virginia), who appeared on the same program, said, "All the information your child inputs and receives is stored somewhere in China." He added, "The Department of Justice is trying to find a solution, and we need to look at that solution, but there is still a big mountain they have to overcome."
The reason Republican and Democratic lawmakers voiced the same concerns on one program is interpreted as their worry that TikTok usage in the U.S. should be blocked. The Biden administration is reportedly exploring security-related agreements with TikTok to allow it to continue operating in the U.S. This has raised growing concerns that Americans' information could leak to China.
Recently, Republicans Senator Marco Rubio (Florida) and Representative Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin) announced they are introducing bills to ban TikTok usage in the U.S., criticizing the Biden administration for not responding adequately to TikTok.
Earlier, TikTok acknowledged that employees outside the U.S. can access information of American users but denied that this information is shared with the Chinese government.
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