The pressure on TikTok is increasing as this just happened:
The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.
The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.” Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.
The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices.
Seeing as TikTok is owned by ByteDance which is a Chinese company, the Chinese government was sure to react at some point. And as if on cue, they have:
The U.S. government “has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries’ companies,” Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. “How unsure of itself can the U.S., the world’s top superpower, be to fear a young person’s favourite app to such a degree?”
TikTok really has no meaningful answer to suggestions that data from the app can be accessed by the Chinese government? Or the fact that the potential exists for the Chinese government to use TikTok to launch things like disinformation campaigns? Could that be the reason why the Chinese government is not only seeing bans like these pop up, but why they might also be freaking out?
Chris Vaughan, AVP – Technical Account Management at Tanium had this to say:
This latest step at the federal level to ban TikTok from government-owned devices reflects that institutions are recognizing that a comprehensive approach is important to protect our citizens from social media campaigns designed to further foreign political objectives and deepen divisions in western societies.
Chinese intelligence tactics are fueled by the sustained collection of user data such as commerce and purchasing information, combined with biometrics and activity tracking, feeds detailed intelligence to be used in operations with longer term objectives. Such data can deliver targeted, timely psychological operations against individuals or groups of citizens. We have seen this during election cycles and politically charged events in recent years. This move raises the question of the extent to which Chinese influence is acceptable when it comes to national infrastructure and everyday life. Concerns have increased in the West in recent months and the use of Chinese surveillance technology has been restricted. We have also seen reports of Chinese initiatives to influence politicians through lobbying and donations, as well as through the spread of disinformation through social media.
We’ve previously seen Russia’s use of information operations during the 2016 US election and UK’s Brexit referendum. China’s focus meanwhile has been on the theft of intellectual property, but there are indications that the CCP may look to information and influence operations to advance its strategic goals. Such instances must be met head on by the US and other western political leaders, and this ban begins to reflect that realization.
I’ve been saying for a while that TikTok needs to be banned as it cannot be trusted. And I am glad to see it start to happen. But what really needs to happen is that it needs to be banned outright. I’m watching with great interest to see who the first country is that does that as it will certainly create a domino effect of other countries doing the same thing.
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This entry was posted on February 28, 2023 at 11:29 am and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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White House To Government Employees: You Have 30 Days To Get TikTok Off Your Phones
The pressure on TikTok is increasing as this just happened:
The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.
The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.” Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.
The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices.
Seeing as TikTok is owned by ByteDance which is a Chinese company, the Chinese government was sure to react at some point. And as if on cue, they have:
The U.S. government “has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries’ companies,” Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. “How unsure of itself can the U.S., the world’s top superpower, be to fear a young person’s favourite app to such a degree?”
TikTok really has no meaningful answer to suggestions that data from the app can be accessed by the Chinese government? Or the fact that the potential exists for the Chinese government to use TikTok to launch things like disinformation campaigns? Could that be the reason why the Chinese government is not only seeing bans like these pop up, but why they might also be freaking out?
Chris Vaughan, AVP – Technical Account Management at Tanium had this to say:
This latest step at the federal level to ban TikTok from government-owned devices reflects that institutions are recognizing that a comprehensive approach is important to protect our citizens from social media campaigns designed to further foreign political objectives and deepen divisions in western societies.
Chinese intelligence tactics are fueled by the sustained collection of user data such as commerce and purchasing information, combined with biometrics and activity tracking, feeds detailed intelligence to be used in operations with longer term objectives. Such data can deliver targeted, timely psychological operations against individuals or groups of citizens. We have seen this during election cycles and politically charged events in recent years. This move raises the question of the extent to which Chinese influence is acceptable when it comes to national infrastructure and everyday life. Concerns have increased in the West in recent months and the use of Chinese surveillance technology has been restricted. We have also seen reports of Chinese initiatives to influence politicians through lobbying and donations, as well as through the spread of disinformation through social media.
We’ve previously seen Russia’s use of information operations during the 2016 US election and UK’s Brexit referendum. China’s focus meanwhile has been on the theft of intellectual property, but there are indications that the CCP may look to information and influence operations to advance its strategic goals. Such instances must be met head on by the US and other western political leaders, and this ban begins to reflect that realization.
I’ve been saying for a while that TikTok needs to be banned as it cannot be trusted. And I am glad to see it start to happen. But what really needs to happen is that it needs to be banned outright. I’m watching with great interest to see who the first country is that does that as it will certainly create a domino effect of other countries doing the same thing.
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This entry was posted on February 28, 2023 at 11:29 am and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.