US senators call for security probe of TikTok

WASHINGTON - Two senior US senators called for the government to study national security risks possibly posed by Chinese-owned video app TikTok, saying it could leave American users vulnerable to Beijing's spying.

With 500 million users worldwide, TikTok has exploded in popularity in the past two years, offering a platform to produce and publish music-synced videos up to 60 seconds long.

In a letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Senator Tom Cotton suggested that TikTok's owner ByteDance could be forced to share user information with Chinese intelligence.

It could also conceivably offer Beijing's spies a backdoor into users' smartphones and computers, similar to allegations against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

"With over 110 million downloads in the US alone, TikTok is a potential counterintelligence threat we cannot ignore," they wrote, urging the intelligence community to "conduct an assessment of the national security risks" posed by the app.

Chinese laws could compel the company "to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party," the senators said.

They noted that TikTok collects substantial personal data from users, making it a security risk.

In a statement posted on its website, TikTok sought to distance itself from China, saying "we are not influenced by any foreign government, including the Chinese government."

The company's data centers are located outside China and "none of our data is subject to Chinese law," it said.

The social media firm denied that it removes content "based on sensitivities related to China."

"We have never been asked by the Chinese government to remove any content and we would not do so if asked. Period," it said, adding that it had no intention of operating in China.

The senators also warned that TikTok could potentially be used to influence voters in next year's election in the same way Russians manipulated US social media in the 2016 campaign.

"Questions have also been raised regarding the potential for censorship or manipulation of certain content," they said.

"TikTok reportedly censors materials deemed politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party, including content related to the recent Hong Kong protests, as well as references to Tiananmen Square, Tibetan and Taiwanese independence, and the treatment of Uighurs."

They acknowledged that the app does not operate in China, where ByteDance offers the similar but separate DouYin app, and that TikTok's user data is stored inside the United States.

However, they said, "ByteDance is still required to adhere to the laws of China."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

White House eyes replacing Tillerson with CIA chief: report

The White House has developed a plan to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo within the next several weeks, the New York Times reported Thursday.

Under the plan, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas would take over for Pompeo at the helm of the CIA, the paper said in its online edition, quoting senior administration officials.

It was not immediately clear whether President Donald Trump has given final approval to the plan developed by his chief of staff John Kelly, according to the paper.

Asked by reporters about the matter at the start of his Oval Office meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, Trump only said, "He's here. Rex is here."

Tillerson has been at odds with Trump's White House on a range of issues such as Iran, Qatar and most recently North Korea.

According to the report, Cotton, a Republican who has been a key ally of Trump on national security issues, has signaled that he would accept the CIA job if offered.

Under the plan, the shake-up of Trump's national security team would happen around the end of the year or shortly after, it said.

While some administration officials initially expected Tillerson to be replaced by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Pompeo has become the White House favorite.

Pompeo has impressed Trump during daily intelligence briefings and become a trusted policy adviser even on issues beyond the CIA's normal mandate such as health care, according to the paper.

The rift between the president and his chief diplomat came to light in early October following a news report that Tillerson was on the verge of resigning this past summer amid policy disputes with Trump.

It was also reported that Tillerson called Trump a "moron" after a July 20 meeting at the Department of Defense with members of Trump's national security team and Cabinet officials.

source: news.abs-cbn.com