Taiwan considers social network TikTok a “threat to national security” – Technology

The Chinese social network TikTok was declared a “threat to national security” by Taiwanese authorities, due to the “substantial control” of “hostile foreign actors” over the platform.

Taiwan’s Digital Affairs Minister, Audrey Tang, warned this Saturday, at a parliamentary hearing, that it is a “dangerous product”, reports Europa Press citing Taiwanese news agency CNA.

TikTok is already banned for public bodies and can now be extended to educational organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as other areas and sectors, added the minister.

On March 13, the United States (US) House of Representatives passed a bill that could ease the ban on the app if TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, does not sell the platform to a US entity within the deadline. six months.

The project now has to pass the Senate, but US President Joe Biden has already announced his willingness to sign it into law, while his main rival in November’s presidential elections, Donald Trump, has said he rejects the project.

Proponents of banning the Tik Tok application in the USA, if ByteDance does not comply with the demands, argue that it is controlled by the Chinese government and claim that it can access users’ private data and censor political content.