‘Donald Trump Was Right’: US Senator Admits TikTok Is an ‘Enormous Threat,’ Warns Parents of Kids Using Video-Sharing App

A Senate Democrat is agreeing with former President Donald Trump on banning the China-owned video-sharing app TikTok.

In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Virginia Senator Mark Warner admitted that Trump was right to go after TikTok. Warner told host Shannon Bream that the app is a major threat to the privacy of Americans.

"Well, I think Donald Trump was right. I mean, TikTok is an enormous threat," Warner said.

The senator warned parents that if their children are on TikTok, they should be "very, very concerned," adding that all the data their child "is inputting and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing."

Mark Warner is the current chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Democrats, Republicans Agree That TikTok is a Security Risk

Democrats and Republicans do not agree on a lot of things. However, when it comes to TikTok, they both agreed it posed a security risk for Americans. There is a genuine bipartisan criticism about the app on both sides.

Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton also told "Fox News Sunday" that "it's not just the content you upload to TikTok but all the data on your phone, other apps, all your personal information, even facial imagery, even where your eyes are looking on your phone."

Cotton then described the app as "one of the most massive surveillance programs ever, especially on America's young people." Republicans are reportedly planning to introduce legislation to ban TikTok. It is being backed by Senator Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher.

This comes as TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew announced that the company is working in isolating sensitive data from its users in the United States so that only American staff will have access. According to Bloomberg, the company is calling this effort "Project Texas."

FBI Director Christopher Wray Warns Congress About TikTok

FBI director Christopher Wray appeared before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last week to talk about security concerns regarding the U.S. operations of TikTok.

According to NPR, Wray noted that the Chinese government could use the data they collected from millions of app users to control their recommendation algorithm and influence them as they choose.

He also warned that the Chinese could "control software on millions of devices, and this could give the app an "opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices."

Back in June, a stunning report from Buzzfeed News revealed that China-based ByteDance employees have repeatedly accessed non-public data of TikTok users in the U.S. The app also reportedly used the data it collected to monitor the personal location of several U.S. citizens.

TikTok denied these allegations. However, Wray noted that China has a law requiring companies to share whatever information they have with the government, as well as having these companies, including TikTok parent company ByteDance, serve as "a tool of the Chinese government."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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