Five TikTok creators in Montana also sued Montana last week over the ban, claiming First Amendment safeguards…reports Asian Lite News
TikTok on Monday filed a lawsuit in a US federal court to prevent Montana from outright banning the video-sharing social media app, The Washington Post reported.
TikTok said in the lawsuit that the unprecedented prohibition, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2024, violates the constitutionally guaranteed right to free expression. The well-known video app TikTok filed a lawsuit against Montana on Monday, claiming that the country’s First Amendment right to free speech will be violated by the state’s new law prohibiting the app nationwide, reported The Washington Post.
The lawsuit attempts to invalidate the legislation, which was signed last week by Republican Governor of the state Greg Gianforte and is scheduled to take effect on January 1. The proposal will probably be delayed by the legal argument.
In its complaint, TikTok, which estimates 150 million US users, said that the state’s “extraordinary and unprecedented measures [are] based on nothing more than unfounded speculation..”
Five TikTok creators in Montana also sued Montana last week over the ban, claiming First Amendment safeguards, as per The Washington Post.
Taking to Twitter last week, the Governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte announced the ban on TikTok in Montana saying that it is done to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party.
“TikTok is just one app tied to foreign adversaries. Today I directed the state’s Chief Information Officer to ban any application that provides personal information or data to foreign adversaries from the state network,” Gianforte tweeted.
“I prohibited the use of TikTok on state devices which poses a significant risk to the security of our state and Montanans’ sensitive data.”
Gianforte said that TikTok posed a “significant risk” to confidential state information when Montana banned the app on devices used by the government in December 2022. Both the federal government and more than half of the states in the US have a comparable ban on video-sharing social networking platforms.
Gianforte also said that as of June 1, no social media platforms linked to foreign enemies would be allowed to be used on government property or for official activities in Montana.
He mentioned a number of apps, including WeChat, whose parent business is based in China, and Telegram Messenger, which was established in Russia. (ANI)
The Republican Governor Greg Gianforte announced the ban on TikTok in Montana saying that it is done to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the CCP….reports Asian Lite News
Amid a surge in security concerns, Montana has become the first US state to put a complete ban on video-sharing social networking app TikTok.
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday (local time), the Republican Governor Greg Gianforte announced the ban on TikTok in Montana saying that it is done to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party. “TikTok is just one app tied to foreign adversaries. Today I directed the state’s Chief Information Officer to ban any application that provides personal information or data to foreign adversaries from the state network,” Gianforte tweeted.
“I prohibited the use of TikTok on state devices which poses a significant risk to the security of our state and Montanans’ sensitive data.”
Gianforte said that TikTok posed a “significant risk” to confidential state information when Montana banned the app on devices used by the government in December 2022. Both the federal government and more than half of the states in the US have a comparable ban on video-sharing social networking platforms.
The ban will likely be challenged in court, and the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned will get a chance to test its viability here, according to LA Times.
Gianforte also said on Wednesday (local time) that as of June 1, no social media platforms linked to foreign enemies would be allowed to be used on government property or for official activities in Montana.
He mentioned a number of apps, including WeChat, whose parent business is based in China, and Telegram Messenger, which was established in Russia.
The new law in Montana bans TikTok downloads within the state and fines any “entity”–such as an app store or TikTok–USD10,000 per day for each occasion when a user “is offered the ability” to visit the social media site or download the app. Users would not be subject to the fines, LA Times reported.
A request for a response was not immediately answered by TikTok, but the company has stated that it will battle to allow people of Montana to use the app. (ANI)
Use of the app is no longer allowed under the guidelines outlined in the Acceptable Usage Policy for Irish State employees, according to The Irish Times…reports Asian Lite News
Following a thorough risk analysis by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), employees of government departments and agencies have been told to remove TikTok from their work-related devices, The Irish Times reported.
The NCSC said that its evaluation “leant heavily on the experiences” of the European Commission, the European Union, the UK, and other organisations in addition to being in line with procedures in other nations. Due to data protection and privacy concerns related to the company’s relationship with the Chinese government, a number of nations, notably the UK and the Netherlands, have blocked the use of social networking app on government computers.
Use of the app is no longer allowed under the guidelines outlined in the Acceptable Usage Policy for Irish State employees, according to The Irish Times.
On Friday, parent departments and then staff received a message outlining the instructions, which The Irish Times obtained. They were instructed to remove the Chinese-owned social media app from any devices that were already running it and stopping installing the programme altogether.
A spokesperson of the Department of Communications, which is in charge of the NCSC, said the restriction extends to all departments, agencies, and other government entities falling under their purview, with the exception of “exceptional cases where there is a business need,” as per The Irish Times.
The spokesperson added, “This recommendation was informed by a detailed risk assessment carried out by the NCSC, and extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, including the Data Protection Commission (DPC), the European Commission and other Member States.”
The Irish Times reported that the department sees it as being complementary to current security measures based on the 2021 Cyber Security Baseline Standards Framework intended to increase the security and resilience of public sector ICT systems.
Analysts weren’t overly surprised by the decision because similar bans had been implemented by the European Commission and the US, two countries that have expressed privacy concerns.
Chief Executive of BH Consulting, which specialises in cybersecurity and data protection, Brian Honan said. “The primary concern they have is that TikTok may be forced by the Chinese Government to hand over data from their user base and if some of them are Government employees that may enable the Chinese Government to do espionage or surveillance on those people,” adding, “It’s no big surprise the Irish Government has [gone] the same way.”
Minister of State for eGovernment Ossian Smyth, last month, indicated the NCSC was due to issue new guidance to the Government around policies for devices assigned to their civil servants.
He said, “That guidance doesn’t name specific companies; it describes how to measure the type of risk from different types of apps and what type of precautions to take in which circumstances. It doesn’t particularly name any apps or companies.
Contacts, photos, location information, and user interactions with other applications are among the types of information that may be accessible through social media apps.
Honan noted that identical functionality could be found in other social networking apps that are situated in different countries. (ANI)
Washington, Mar 24 (ANI): TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before US Congress amid growing security concerns and potential Chinese government influence over the company, in Washington on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
A spokesperson for TikTok told CNN that the company “invest[s] heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform” and that it disagreed with the ICO’s decision…reports Asian Lite News
The United Kingdom regulator has fined the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform TikTok almost USD 16 million for a number of ‘data protection law’ breaching, including misusing children’s personal data, according to CNN.
UK’s information commissioner’s office fined TikTok USD 15.9 million and estimated that the video-sharing platform allowed over 1 million children under 13 to use its platform in violation of its own rules in 2020. On Tuesday, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) stated that the video-sharing platform had not done enough to see who, at what age, the audience is accessing their platform. TikTok also failed to take action to remove underage children and hadn’t provided proper information to users about how their data was being collected and used. The fine applies to rule breaches between May 2018 and July 2020.
“There are laws in place to make sure your children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws,” John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner said.
He added, “TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better.”
A spokesperson for TikTok told CNN that the company “invest[s] heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform” and that it disagreed with the ICO’s decision.
“Our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community,” the spokesperson said.
The fine comes as a string of Western countries turns their back on the Chinese-owned video streaming platform.
Earlier, Australia, France, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and India, in a very initial phase, banned the TikTok app from all devices with access to the country’s parliament by the end of March.
Australia will ban the use of TikTok on government devices “as soon as practicable,” the country’s attorney-general announced earlier on Tuesday, citing security concerns, according to CNN. (ANI)
Children’s data may have been used to track and profile them, potentially presenting them with harmful or inappropriate content, he added…reports Asian Lite News
Britain’s data watchdog said on Tuesday it had fined TikTok 12.7 million pounds ($15.9 million) for breaching data protection law including by using the personal data of children aged under 13 without parental consent.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) estimated that TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million UK children under 13 to use its platform in 2020, even though it sets 13 as the minimum age to create an account.
The ICO said the data breaches occurred between May 2018 and July 2020, with the Chinese-owned video app not having done enough to check who was using the platform and remove the underage children who were.
“There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws,” UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said.
Children’s data may have been used to track and profile them, potentially presenting them with harmful or inappropriate content, he added.
A TikTok spokesperson said the company disagreed with the ICO’s decision but was pleased the fine had been reduced from the possible 27 million pounds set out by the ICO last year.
“We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000 strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps.”
The ICO’s fine follows moves by Western governments and institutions in recent weeks, including Britain, to bar usage of TikTok on official devices over security concerns.
Australia to ban TikTok
Meanwhile, Australia’s federal government will ban video-sharing application TikTok on government devices over fears that the application’s security could be compromised and the platform could be used for foreign interference by China, ABC News reported.
Australia becomes the last nation in the “five eyes” intelligence alliance to block the app after similar decisions were taken by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced that the ban will come into effect “as soon as practicable.” He further stated that exemptions will be made on a case-by-case basis, as per the ABC News report.
In a statement, Mark Dreyfus said, “After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Victorian and ACT governments stated that they expected an imminent ban, as per the news report. A spokesperson for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said they will follow the Commonwealth’s guidance with regard to cybersecurity and they will now work on implementing these changes “across the public service as soon as possible.”
Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is among those who support the use of TikTok…reports Asian Lite News
More than two dozen Democratic members of Congress, including Reps. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, Robert Garcia of California, and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, are active on TikTok, using the platform to engage with constituents and reach younger audiences.
However, as pressure against TikTok mounts in Washington due to security concerns, some of their colleagues are urging them to stop using the social media platform. Despite the pushback, many of these lawmakers defend their presence on TikTok, arguing that they have a responsibility to connect with Americans where they are, and with over 150 million users on the app, TikTok is a valuable tool for reaching younger audiences.
Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is among those who support the use of TikTok, stating that while he is aware of the security implications and sensitive to the ban, there is currently no better and faster way to engage with young people in the United States than through the platform.
Yet the lawmakers active on TikTok remain a distinct minority, Associated Press reported.
Most in Congress are in favor of limiting the app, forcing a sale to remove connections to China, or even banning it outright.
The U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states have already banned the app from official devices, as has the federal government. Similar bans have been imposed in Denmark, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand, as well as the European Union, AP reported.
Republican representatives says TikTok’s chief was unable to give “100% guarantee” that Beijing was not influencing parts of the app…reports Asian Lite News
Amidst growing calls in the US to ban TikTok, owned by China-based company ByteDance, US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that lawmakers will be moving forward with legislation to “protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Taking to his official Twitter handle, McCarthy called it “very concerning” that the TikTok CEO can’t be honest and admit that China has access to TikTok. McCarthy tweeted, “It’s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can’t be honest and admit what we already know to be true–China has access to TikTok user data. The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before US Congress amid growing security concerns and potential Chinese government influence over the company. He faced hostile questioning from the US House Energy and Commerce Committee.
US Lawmaker Debbie Lesko during her line of questioning quoted India and other countries that have recently banned TikTok in some form.
“This (TikTok) is a tool which is ultimately under the control of the Chinese government and screams out with national security concerns Mr Chew, how can all of these countries and our FBI director be wrong? asked Lesko.
In response, Shou Zi Chew said, “I think a lot of risks pointed out are hypothetical and theoretical risks. I have not seen any evidence.”
The Congresswoman once again reiterated and stressed on the India ban. “India banned TikTok in 2020. On March 21, a Forbes article revealed how data of Indian citizens who used TikTok remained accessible to employees at the company and its Beijing-based parent. A current TikTok employee told Forbes that nearly anyone with basic access to company tools can easily look up the closest contact and other sensitive information about any user,” Lesko informed her colleagues.
“You damn well know that you cannot protect the data and security of this committee or the 150 million users of your app because it is an extension of the CCP,” Lawmaker Kat Cammack of Florida told TikTok after playing a threatening video that was still on the platform more than a month after it had been posted, despite community guidelines barring violence or threats.
Asked during a hearing in Congress by Republican representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, TikTok’s chief was unable to “100 per cent guarantee” that Beijing was not influencing parts of the app.
Shou Zi Chew said the company is committed to firewalling US user data from “all unwanted foreign access” and would keep content “free from any manipulation from any government.”Another lawmaker from New Jersey said he wasn’t convinced that TikTok’s security plans would work.
“I still believe that the Beijing communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do,” he said, pushing back on what he said was TikTok’s attempt to portray itself as “a benign company that’s just performing a public service … I don’t buy it.”
Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre while responding to a media query over the TikTok ban during a press briefing said, “We have expressed concerns over China’s potential use of software platforms that could endanger or threaten America’s safety and national security so that is the President concerned that is why we have called on Congress to take action.”
“We have seen a bipartisan piece of legislation that you know and have been covering, which is the President’s main priority. I am sure when it comes to their safety when it comes to their security and when it comes to our national security, those things are protected and so that has been the President’s focus over the last couple of years,” she added.
TikTok. (Photo:Unsplash)
China cries foul
Commenting on the US government’s recent ban on a Chinese firm’s short video-sharing app TikTok, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed Washington for its abuse of state power in unreasonably cracking down on businesses from other countries, suggesting the US’ lack of confidence against a mobile app.
Following a series of moves against TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, the White House on Monday asked US government agencies to get rid of the app from official devices and systems within 30 days.
The move follows a ban ordered by the US Congress, which cited national security concerns, in December 2022. US lawmakers are also set to vote this week on a bill that would give US President Joe Biden the authorities to ban the app from all US devices, Reuters reported.
Asked about the US ban on TikTok at a press briefing in Beijing, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that as the world’s No.1 power, the US is actually so afraid of a mobile app that young people like, and that is rather too unconfident.
“We firmly oppose the US’ wrong practice of generalizing the concept of national security and abusing state power to unreasonably suppress companies from other countries,” Mao said, urging the US to respect fair competition principles and stop crackdowns on relevant companies.
ByteDance did not comment on the bans as of press time on Tuesday, but its subsidiary, TikTok, said that so-called national security concerns raised by US and other officials are fueled by misinformation. TikTok stressed its efforts to protect user data and privacy.
The US move on Monday comes as Canada and the EU imposed similar bans. Canada on Monday issued a ban on TikTop on government-issued devices, with Prime Minister Justine Trudeau suggesting moves could be taken. Last week, the EU’s two biggest policymaking bodies also banned the app on staff phones.
Notably, despite their repeated citing of security concerns as the reason for the bans, Western officials have not made public any instances of security breaches involving TikTok. The company, which has been trying to convince US and European officials that concerns over its security issues are misplaced, noted that such bans are “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.”
The bans sparked some criticism and opposition within the West. Following the US’ move on Monday and ahead of the US House of Representatives’ vote on a bill to ban TikTok on all US devices, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the largest public-interest law firms in the US, said it firmly opposes the bill.
Transformation and Public Administration Minister Stanislas Guerini has made the announcement.
In the latest move to tackle the surge in privacy and cybersecurity-related risks, the government of France has banned the Chinese video-sharing application TikTok on government devices, NHK World reported.
The French government has reportedly debarred TikTok on the work phones of public-sector employees. On Friday, French Public Service Minister Stanislas Guerini declared that TikTok, a Chinese-owned video-sharing software, would no longer be allowed on the work phones of civil servants.
“In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” he tweeted.
Transformation and Public Administration Minister Stanislas Guerini made the announcement on Friday.
Amid security concerns, the video-sharing social networking service, Tik Tok earlier on March 17 was banned on the phones of New Zealand MPs, Auckland-based daily newspaper, New Zealand Herald reported.
As per the New Zealand Herald, the chief executive of the Parliamentary Service, Rafael Gonzalez-Montero stated that the “risks are not acceptable” given that strict actions are being taken all over the world, concerning social media service.
#TikTok | Pour des enjeux de cybersécurité et de protection des données personnelles, nous avons décidé d'interdire les applications récréatives sur les téléphones professionnels des agents publics d'Etat.
There is widespread concern that TikTok data could be compromised and sent to China.
It comes after comparable actions in the US, UK, and Europe.
India too imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns.
Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, reported France24.
The company’s CEO Shou Zi Chew faced a grilling by US lawmakers on Thursday, in a rare bipartisan rebuke that reflected a growing penchant to ban the app from the US over its ties to China and handling of user data.
TikTok’s chief executive said user data can be accessed by its Chinese parent company and said that the staff in China currently have the ability to see user information.
Moreover, TikTok is bound by China’s National Intelligence Law, which compels every Chinese citizen and company to surrender all data to the Chinese Communist Party on request and perform surveillance activities on behalf of the CCP.
TikTok, like many other social media companies, collects users’ personal information, including phone numbers, email addresses, contacts and Wi-Fi networks.
ByteDance has said the company does not share information with the Chinese government, but US officials counter that Chinese law requires the company based in Beijing to make the app’s data available to the CCP.
The China-based app, which counts more than 150 million US users each month, has faced growing scrutiny from government officials over fears that user data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government and that the app could be weaponised by China to spread misinformation. (ANI)
The committee also pressed Chew over measures that TikTok is taking to protect kids on the app…reports Asian Lite News
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who testified before the US Congress for the first time, has said the short-video making platform will never share US user data with China. However, the Congress appears more determined to ban TikTok than ever.
Chew, who appeared before dozens of House Energy and Commerce Committee members late on Thursday, offered reassurances that the company would enhance privacy and avoid any possibility of “unauthorised foreign access” to US user data, reports TechCrunch.
“I understand that there are concerns stemming from the inaccurate belief that TikTok’s corporate structure makes it beholden to the Chinese government or that it shares information about US users with the Chinese government,” Chew said.
“This is emphatically untrue,” he told the committee members.
“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew stressed.
In an earlier video, Chew had warned the TikTok community of 150 million Americans about the ban.
“Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok,” Chew said. “Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.”
During the hearing, Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said that Americans deserve to know the extent to which their privacy is jeopardised and “their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China”.
“What’s worse, we know Big Tech companies, like TikTok, use harmful algorithms to exploit children for profit and expose them to dangerous content online,” Rodgers told Chew.
The committee also pressed Chew over measures that TikTok is taking to protect kids on the app.
The Joe Biden administration has reportedly demanded that China-based ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, must sell its stake in the short-video making app or face a possible ban.
A group of 12 US Senators has unveiled a new bill that now has a White House backing and may give President Biden power to ban TikTok nationwide.
The broadcaster has launched multiple pages on the app as it attempts to reach new audiences, and its official account has 4.4 million followers…reports Asian Lite News
The BBC said that it had told staff to delete Chinese-owned video app TikTok unless it was needed for business reasons, with Western institutions increasingly taking a harder stance over data collection fears.
The British broadcasting giant reported that it sent staff a message on Sunday saying: “We don’t recommend installing TikTok on a BBC corporate device unless there is a justified business reason.
“If you do not need TikTok for business reasons, TikTok should be deleted,” it added.
Western authorities have been taking an increasingly firm approach to the app, owned by the firm ByteDance, citing fears that user data could be used or abused by Chinese officials.
The UK on Thursday announced a security ban on TikTok on government devices, in line with action by the European Union and the United States.
The BBC told AFP on Monday that it “takes the safety and security of our systems, data and people incredibly seriously”.
It added that while usage of TikTok on its corporate devices is still permitted for editorial and marketing purposes, “we will continue to monitor and assess the situation”.
The broadcaster has launched multiple pages on the app as it attempts to reach new audiences, and its official account has 4.4 million followers.
ByteDance has long insisted that it does not keep data in China or share it with Beijing.
Chinese-owned video hosting service TikTok can threaten America’s safety and its national security, the White House had said last week.
Responding to a media query over the TikTok ban during a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We have expressed concerns over China’s potential use of software platforms that could endanger or threaten America’s safety and national security so that is the President concerned that is why we have called on Congress to take action.” “We have seen a bipartisan piece of legislation that you know and have been covering, which is the President’s main priority. I am sure when it comes to their safety when it comes to their security and when it comes to our national security, those things are protected and so that has been the President’s focus over the last couple of years,” she added.
In the press briefing, the White House press secretary further stated that Sophia, who is reviewing this particular software and the TikTok app, supports the bipartisan legislation mentioned earlier.
“Look the bottom line is that when it comes to potential threats to our national security, the safety of Americans, privacy, we are going to speak out and we are going to be very clear about that and the Prez has been last 2 years and so we are asking Congress to act, to move forward with this bipartisan legislation that was the strict action that we just mentioned and we are going to continue to do so,” Pierre said.
This statement from the White House Press Secretary came after the group of Senators introduced the “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology” (RESTRICT) Act.
The Act would give new powers to the US government to take action against technologies posing risk to the country.
