TikTok is hitting back on Facebook and calling for a fair competition between the two companies. The company has also assured its users that their data is safe and they strive to be apolitical.
The global rise in usage of TikTok has unnerved many, who see it as a major threat to national security across the US. Its link to China has also come into focus in recent months, following the outbreak of coronavirus and multiple accusations that it censors information that is not in line with the Chinese Community Party regime.
TikTok ban in the US and around the world
The US has also indicated that it is evaluating whether a total ban of the application will be necessary, as it accused the firm of data insecurity and censorship. Around the world, TikTok has already been banned in India amid escalating border tension between the two countries, where India also accused TikTok of data insecurity and censorship in the country.
However, the focus on the application is expected to grow, when Facebook and other big technology companies participate in antitrust hearings.
Facebook has always been critical of TikTok, with its CEO criticizing the application last year, by claiming that it censored information that was critical to China. Zuckerberg said that the protests in Hong Kong had also been censored heavily, and the company’s connection with China, where it is headquartered had everything to do with it.
Response to criticism
TikTok is now responding to those allegations calling them ‘maligning attacks’ and accusing Facebook of using these tactics to fend off competition in the US. Its chief executive Kevin Mayer continued by saying he hoped that both companies would keep a healthy competition between each other and stop attacking each other.
TikTok is the world’s topmost growing app, amassing over one billion users around the world. It’s parent company, the ByteDance is located in China and has also been a focus due to data censorship and claims that it shares the data obtained from its client with China.
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