The following should come as no surprise for ‘If you use the video-sharing platform TikTok, you may be feeding information to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence services, warns Casey Fleming, a cyber security expert and CEO of strategic advisory firm BlackOps Partners.
In a recent interview with Epoch TV’s “Wide Angle” program, Fleming explained the dangers posed by foreign-controlled cellphone applications such as TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based internet giant ByteDance.
“We must assume,” he said, “that every one of these applications coming from China, Russia, and other declared adversaries of the United States—we have to assume that these applications are weaponized against us.”
TikTok, the hugely popular short-format video app that allows users to create, share, and view 15-second videos often featuring singing, dancing, or comedy, was started in China as “Douyin” in September 2016; within a year, it had 100 million Chinese users.
The app was relaunched as TikTok internationally in September 2017. Attracting dozens of A-list celebrity users, and partnerships with the NBA, NFL, and Comedy Central, TikTok quickly became one of the most popular apps in the world.
By 2020, TikTok reported nearly a billion active users worldwide—less than four years after its launch.
But TikTok may have a dark side. Since TikTok is a Chinese company, all the private information that the app is collecting may be fed directly to the Chinese regime, experts have warned, citing a range of Chinese laws that compel companies to cooperate with regime authorities when asked.
“All of your data on that phone,” Fleming said, “everything you do, and everything that you have stored on your phone is being sent out of the country, possibly to be used against you.
“The Communist Party of China is collecting vast amounts of data. It may not be used against you today. But this information might be used against you, your company, or your country in the future.”’https://www.theepochtimes.com/tiktok-users-are-feeding-data-to-ccp-intelligence-agencies-cyber-experts-warn_4275403.html?utm_source=uschinanoe&utm_campaign=uschina-2022-02-14&utm_medium=email&est=fi9pZQnwvKpYtnxBuqPlePLEYDb%2Fw9O1FKqYX7tTZfaG2Esp0LMiEKT3ktW5%2F9FsUQ%3D%3D
whatyareckon 