The TikTok problem can be solved in these two ways, says Senator Booker

Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, said there are two ways for the United States to address the security issues surrounding Chinese social media platform TikTok.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress have expressed concerns about TikTok and the possibility that the Chinese government could access user data and use the platform to manipulate or promote propaganda. While speaking with CBS News’ Confront the Nation, Booker was asked if espionage is something Americans will have to live with? Booker replied, “No, absolutely not.”

“There are two ways to approach this,” Booker said, speaking to social media app TikTok. “First, the proactive step of banning it on government devices is something the federal government of the United States is doing, states and even localities are doing.”

“But the other way to go is to go directly to the company. They are now working with US intelligence to try to ensure that the proper precautions are taken so that the Chinese cannot access it and use it for espionage,” Booker continued. .

The New Jersey senator concluded by saying, “This is something we need to take seriously.

Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican leaders have already moved to ban the popular social media app from government devices, citing security concerns.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, both Republicans, issued guidelines banning the use of TikTok on state-owned devices. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly Kansas also echoed those concerns and banned TikTok on state-owned devices.

“Protecting our state’s critical cyberinfrastructure from foreign and domestic threats is essential to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of our citizens and businesses,” McMaster wrote in a letter. “Federal law enforcement and national security officials have warned that TikTok poses a clear and present danger to its users, and a growing bipartisan coalition in Congress is pushing to ban access to TikTok in the United States. “

Concerns over TikTok’s presence in the United States have been an issue on Capitol Hill as politicians have begun to take a closer look at how the app collects data from its users.

In Abbott’s letter to TikTok, the Texas governor said “while TikTok claimed it was storing US data in the United States, the company admitted in a letter to Congress that China-based employees could have access to US data”. This contradicts claims made by TikTok executives during a congressional oversight hearing this year.

Political analyst Craig Agranoff said Newsweek Sunday, “TikTok as a foreign social network may retain data on US users and poses a threat. This data could be vulnerable to hacking, government, surveillance, or misuse by the social network itself” .

“Additionally, foreign laws and regulations may not provide the same level of privacy protections to U.S. users as domestic laws. It is important that users are aware of the risks and consider the privacy policies and practices of any social app they use,” says Agranoff.

The analyst continued, “It is difficult to predict the future, but there are certainly tensions between the United States and China that could potentially escalate into a Cold War-like situation. Relations between the two countries have become increasingly strained in recent years due to issues such as trade disputes, technological competition, human rights concerns, disagreements over global governance and n ‘let’s not quickly forget the weather balloon.

“Whether or not the tensions will lead to a real Cold War will depend on a variety of factors, including the actions and decisions of the leaders of the two countries and the global community as a whole,” he said.