Pence says US to maintain 'strong stand' on TikTok

[WASHINGTON] US Vice-President Mike Pence said on Tuesday the United States would "continue to take a strong stand" regarding Chinese entities that threaten US security, including potentially the social media app TikTok.

Mr Pence made the remark in an interview with Fox News Channel a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, suggesting it shared information with the Chinese government, a charge TikTok denied.

Mr Pence, citing Washington's tough stance against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei Technologies, said President Donald Trump had made it clear his administration would defend US interests from "being compromised by the Chinese Communist Party."

"So these entities, whether it be Huawei and perhaps even TikTok, that represent a threat to the privacy and to the security of the country, we'll continue to take a strong stand," Mr Pence said.

US lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok's handling of user data, saying they were worried about Chinese laws requiring domestic companies "to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party."

The Federal Trade Commission and the US Justice Department are looking into allegations that the short-form video app owned by China-based ByteDance failed to live up to a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children's privacy, according to two people interviewed by the agencies.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

REUTERS