FBI raises concerns about China-based TikTok

The FBI has raised concerns about the China-based video-sharing app TikTok, which says it poses a national security threat.

FBI Director Chris Wray warned on Friday that the social media app could be used for espionage operations in the U.S.

Wray, speaking at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, said he is worried about how TikTok functions and how China controls content offerings.

The algorithm recommendations allow China to manipulate content, and if they want to use it for influence operations, according to Wray.

The AP reported that China could collect users' data for traditional espionage operations.

There are an estimated 80 million active monthly users in the U.S.

All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn't share our values and that has a mission that is very much at odds with what is in the best interests of the United States, Wray said.

Wray suggested that it is an issue to be considered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Whether or not there is something that could address those concerns is a product of much discussion within the interagency, Bloomberg quoted Wray saying.

TikTok is facing backlash from U.S. regulators, and some congressional leaders like Senator Marco Rubio R-FL, who are calling for a ban on the platform.

In 2020, the Trump administration threatened to ban the app in the U.S. and ordered ByteDance to sell or spin off its U.S. TikTok business. The Biden Administration announced that it would be conducting its own review and dropped that order.

Earlier this year, the FCC asked Alphabet Inc GOOGL, Google, and Apple Inc AAPL to ban TikTok from its Google Play Store and iOS App Store.