On possibility of TikTok ban, Pompeo cites national security; says 'evaluating CCP threat'

Two days after hinting that his government was considering a ban on Chinese social media apps like TikTok, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated this was a part of the constant evaluation to ensure the privacy of American citizens. He clarified that his comments on TikTok were in the context of evaluating the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. Pompeo asserted that the Trump administration shall take steps to prevent the CCP from accessing private information belonging to Americans. Maintaining that is a project of real scale, he affirmed that the communications infrastructure must be based on the Western ideal of private property. 

Speaking to the media, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remarked, "With respect to TikTok, I want to put it in a broader context. We have been engaged in a constant evaluation about ensuring that we protect the privacy of American citizens and their information. So, this doesn't relate to any one business or company, but rather to American national security. We are striving to get that right. The comments that I made about a particular company earlier this week fall in the context of us evaluating the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. We have talked about it in the context of ZTE, in the context of Huawei. We are now evaluating each instance where we believe that the Chinese Communist Party does not have an easy way to access the American citizens' phones, systems and healthcare records."

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He added, "So what you will see the administration do is to take actions to protect that information and prevent the Chinese Communist Party from accessing private information that belongs to Americans. We have a big project because we have partners all around the world. Our infrastructure crosses Chinese technology and then comes to the United States. So, one should think about this as a project of real scale and importance. The communications infrastructure of the next 100 years must be based on the Western ideal of private property."

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India bans 59 Chinese Apps

Amid the tensions with China at the LAC, the Indian government on June 29 invoked its power under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 to ban TikTok and 58 other Chinese Apps. This includes Shareit, Kwai, UC Browser, Baidu map, Shein, Clash of Kings, DU battery saver, Helo, Likee, YouCam makeup, Mi Community, CM Browers, We Chat, UC Browser, Virus Cleaner, DU Cleaner, etc. According to the Union government, this was a targeted move to ensure the safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.

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