US FCC Commissioner Exhorts Apple & Google to Remove Tiktok from App Stores

The popular social video platform TikTok has become a global phenomenon in a very short time. TikTok currently has over one billion views which shows the penetration of the platform worldwide. TikTok has remained under observation by U.S. regulators for allegedly accessing and collecting the personal information of US citizens. The authorities fear that the user data of US citizens could be transmitted to China’s communist government. Now, recently, a Republican FCC (Federal Communications Commission) commissioner, Brendan Carr has urged Apple and Alphabet to remove Chinese-owned TikTok from their respective app stores.

US FCC Commissioner Exhorts Apple & Google to Remove Tiktok from App Stores

Moreover, regarding the matter, Mr. Carr sent a letter to the heads of the companies (Apple and Alphabet) on June 24 that was signed on FCC letterhead. On Tuesday, while explaining the context of the letter in a tweet, he said,

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.

Furthermore, Carr directed the respective companies to either delete TikTok from their app stores by July 8 or contrarily provide an explanation for not removing it.

In response, a TikTok spokeswoman stated that TikTok’s engineers in areas outside of the US, including China, can be allowed access to U.S. user data “on an as-needed basis” and under “strict controls.” However, Alphabet’s Google refused to comment on Carr’s letter, while the silicon valley giant Apple did not reply to a request for comment.

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