A member of the Federal Communications Commission has called on tech giants Google and Apple to remove the video sharing app TikTok from their app stores over concerns about how the company uses private user data.
In a letter to Apple and Google, Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr cited his concerns over a recent Buzzfeed article that claims that officials in TikTok’s parent, the Beijing-based Bytedance, have repeatedly accessed sensitive personal data on Americans collected by TikTok via their popular app.
“TikTok is not what it appears to be on the surface. It is not just an app for sharing funny videos or memes. That’s the sheep’s clothing. At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal data,” Carr wrote.
“Indeed, TikTok collects everything from search and browsing histories to keystroke patterns and biometric identifiers, including faceprints – which researchers have said may be used in unrelated facial recognition technology, and voiceprints. It collects location data as well as draft messages and metadata, plus it has collected the texts, images and videos that are stored on the devices’ clipboard,” he added.
As the New York Times noted, Carr’s call for the TikTok to be removed from Apple and Google’s app store is unlikely to gain much headway as the F.C.C. does not regulate apps but the letter does reveal the increased scrutiny social media giants are facing from regulators, both in the U.S. and abroad.
TikTok has attempted to address the concerns regarding its use of user data and recently revealed that it has shifted data for its U.S. users to route through the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure instead of Chinese-based cloud services.
“Recent reporting by BuzzFeed shows that TikTok is doing exactly what it said it would: addressing concerns around access to U.S. user data by employees outside the U.S. We’ve been clear and vocal about our work in this area as we seek to address both location and access to data. We’re pleased that we now route 100% of U.S. user traffic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and we are continuing to work on additional safeguards on U.S. data for improved peace of mind for our community,” a rep for the company told the Washington Post.
TikTok is not just another video app.
That’s the sheep’s clothing.It harvests swaths of sensitive data that new reports show are being accessed in Beijing.
I’ve called on @Apple & @Google to remove TikTok from their app stores for its pattern of surreptitious data practices. pic.twitter.com/Le01fBpNjn
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) June 28, 2022
