Brendan Carr, one of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is asking the US government to ban TikTok in the country.
Carr's decision to call for the ban of the popular app is connected with how the China-owned social media platform handles the data of users in the US.
"I don't believe there's a path forward for anything other than a ban," Carr said to Axios in an interview.
TikTok Negotiates with CFIUS to Remain Operational in the US
Currently, TikTok is negotiating with the Council on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) to determine whether the platform can remain operational in the US if the Chinese parent company ByteDance sells it to an American company.
CFIUS is an interagency committee in charge of reviewing foreign companies' deals to determine their implication for national security.
Carr called on CFIUS to take action to ban TikTok in the country due to the company's alleged lack of ability to handle the data of users in the US safely.
Carr, together with Republican and Democrat lawmakers, expressed their growing concern on the possibility that China-based ByteDance is sharing data of users in the US with Beijing officials.
In addition, there have been criticisms that it is highly possible that the Chinese Communist Party might use the app to try to influence US politics and discourses in social media.
The FCC, according to New York Post, does not have the regulatory power to ban TikTok in the country. However, according to the FCC commissioner, the CFIUS should seek action to immediately ban the app in the country.
Previously, TikTok already issued a statement that China-based ByteDance employees do not have access to the data of American users.
According to a TikTok spokesperson, the FCC commissioner plays no important role in the confidential discussion between ByteDance and the US government concerning the app.
Moreover, the spokesperson also said that it seems Carr is only expressing his views independent of his role as an FCC commissioner.
Furthermore, the TikTok spokesperson said that ByteDance is confident that they will eventually reach an amenable agreement with the US government that will address all issues concerning national security.
Read Also: TikTok Is Laying Off Staff in Different Parts of the World, Including US, UK
Carr Claims TikTok Poses a National Security Risk to US
It can be recalled that in June, Carr wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook urging him to ban TikTok from App Store.
Likewise, he penned a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai requesting him to ban the app from Play Store.
According to Carr, the app is a sophisticated surveillance tool that collects an extensive amount of information from users through search, browsing histories, keystroke patterns, and biometric identifiers, including voice prints and face prints.
With this, TikTok poses a grave national security risk with its extensive data collection in addition to the unchecked access of Beijing to sensitive data.
If the US government bans the app, roughly 94.1 million users in the country would be affected. In the incident that the US issues a ban, it would be the second country next to India to issue an outright ban on TikTok, as per CNET.
Related Article: FCC Commissioner Wants TikTok Removed From App Stores Due to National Security Concerns
