Chris Wray and the entire Federal Bureau Investigation organization are worried that China is controlling TikTok‘s algorithm.
The definition of an algorithm in regards to TikTok is a system that shares specific videos on an individual’s For You page based on their preferences. Wray, an FBI director, expressed those fears last week on Dec. 2 during a discussion panel at the University of Michigan.
According to the Associated Press, Wray claimed that China is using the video-sharing app’s algorithm as an excuse to “manipulate content” for its advantage. Wray also disclosed that the Chinese might be using the TikTok app to obtain valuable information from its users for spying purposes. At the panel, Wray was quoted saying,
“All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values. And that has a mission that’s very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States. That should concern us.”
That same day, TikTok officials released a statement claiming that TikTok and TikTok Inc., which is used in the United States, are owned by two companies.The parent company TikTok is owned by a private establishment in Beijing named ByteDance. At the same time, TikTok Inc. is a US-based company and protected by its laws.
This accusation comes months after Buzzfeed News allegedly got audio information from 80 internal meetings that showcased that China’s employees did have access to the United States TikTok user’s data. Emily Baker-White from Buzzfeed said,
“The recordings, which were reviewed by BuzzFeed News, contain 14 statements from nine different TikTok employees indicating that engineers in China had access to U.S. data between September 2021 and January 2022, at the very least.”
Since then, no other information regarding this matter has been released at this time.
Published: Dec 5, 2022 10:14 pm