The United States is looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok. The US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said this in an interview with an American news channel.
US lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok's handling of user data. They were worried about Chinese laws requiring domestic companies to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist
Party.
Pompeo's remarks also come amid increasing US-China tensions over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, China's actions in Hong Kong and a nearly two-year trade war.
Meanwhile, the app, which is not available in China, has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience and has emphasized its independence from China.