In order to go viral, many downloaded the app TikTok to start a new trend. It became a quick sensation as many joked about the nature of the app but downloaded it anyway and became addicted. If the government has a say, however, TikTok’s time may run out.
Just a few days ago, the U.S. government launched a review of Tik Tok, a video-sharing app well-known by millions of Americans. The Committee on Foreign Investment is currently reviewing the security of the app after lawmakers expressed their concerns with it. The investigation is confidential at this time.
In response to these accusations, owners of the app explain their efforts to keep their users. “While we cannot comment on ongoing regulatory processes, TikTok has made clear that we have no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the U.S., a spokesman for the app stated.
Just in the past year, TikTok has had over 750 million downloads, more than any other social media platform including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. According to The New York Times, Chinese companies expand, many politicians see this as a threat to American national security and even the American economy. Trump has placed several Chinese tech firms on a blacklist to reduce threats on the national security of America.
Because of the governments close scrutiny of TikTok, the company joined NetChoice, an organization fighting against tech company critics, to lobby for them. They recently spent $120,000 for the lobbying. The company also hired a law firm to represent them in case they are taken to court. They also became part of a nonprofit organization that protects children online. In a New York Times article, it stated that in order to close the investigation recently opened, TikTok owners offered $5.7 million to settle accusations that they steal the information of children 13 and under.
