India set an ‘incredibly important precedent’ by banning TikTok two-and-a-half years ago, FCC commissioner says
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr warned that TikTok “acts as a sophisticated surveillance tool” and told the Economic Times, an Indian daily, that the ban on social apps is “a way for us to protect our communication networks.” It’s a natural next step in our efforts,” he said.
A senior Republican at the Federal Communications Commission is concerned that China may use sensitive, non-public data collected from TikTok for “blackmail, espionage, foreign influence campaigns, and surveillance.” He said that
“India’s precedent must be followed more broadly to weed out other malicious apps as well,” he said.
Carr’s remarks further illustrate the mounting pressure among US states and legislators who are increasingly wary of TikTok, which has amassed more than 100 million users in the country.
India has banned hundreds of apps affiliated with China over the past two years, including TikTok, PUBG Mobile, Battlegrounds Mobile India and UC Browser, in a border skirmish between the two neighboring countries.
New Delhi said it had banned the app because it “posed a threat to India’s national security and defense and ultimately affected India’s sovereignty and integrity.”
TikTok has over 200 million monthly active users in India and counted the South Asian country as its largest international market before the ban.
“India’s strong leadership has been informative and helpful as it has been discussing the ban on TikTok in the US,” Carr told the Indian newspaper (Paywall). “For those who say there is no way to ban an app, India is an example of a country that has done it and succeeded.”
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives banned TikTok on all House-controlled devices, saying it was “high risk due to many security issues.” The move comes as nearly 20 states have at least partially blocked the app from state-controlled devices over concerns that China could use the app to track Americans and censor content. It was followed by
“Looking at TikTok’s history of malicious data flows and its misleading representation, I see no other way forward than a blanket ban that works,” he told the newspaper.
