Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday raised considerations about efforts to ban Chinese language-owned social media app TikTok within the U.S., saying it could solely serve to empower Meta’s Fb platform.
“With out TikTok, you can also make Fb larger, and I think about Fb to be an enemy of the individuals,” Trump, who was previously U.S. president between 2017 and 2021, mentioned in a CNBC TV interview on Monday.
Acknowledging his considerations round nationwide safety and information privateness over TikTok, Trump mentioned “there’s lots of good and there is lots of dangerous” with the platform.
“There are lots of people on TikTok that like it. There are lots of younger children on TikTok who will go loopy with out it,” Trump mentioned.
CNBC has reached out to Meta for remark.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese language web big ByteDance, has exploded in reputation over the previous couple of years, turning into a global sensation with its brief movies.
It has additionally led regulators to worry that the software program’s Chinese language possession would imply that it might share personal person information on the request of the Beijing authorities.
ByteDance, like different Chinese language corporations, could be compelled to reveal such data if requested to take action, consultants say. China’s Nationwide Intelligence Legislation of 2017 requires organizations and residents to “help, help and cooperate with the state intelligence work.”
In 2020, the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to have TikTok faraway from app shops within the U.S. on account of these considerations. Trump subsequently ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok inside 90 days. This effort, which at one level noticed Microsoft put a bid in for TikTok’s U.S. enterprise, additionally by no means got here to fruition.
Ongoing considerations
Now, U.S. lawmakers are as soon as once more stepping up efforts to deal with considerations surrounding TikTok, with separate items of laws proposing both a divestiture of TikTok by ByteDance, or a full ban. Incumbent President Joe Biden, who has expressed nationwide safety considerations over TikTok, has additionally mentioned he would signal a invoice to ban the app, if Congress passes it.
Trump has not too long ago softened his tone, saying he fears a TikTok ban would solely serve to make Fb extra highly effective.
In Monday’s interview, Trump mentioned that he feels TikTok stays a nationwide safety threat, given its Chinese language possession — however he additionally deflected consideration to Fb, noting that the platform has comparable points regarding privateness and safety.
“If China needs something from [TikTo], they may give it, in order that’s a nationwide safety threat [that] goes up,” Trump acknowledged. “However once I take a look at it, I am not seeking to make Fb double the scale. And in the event you in the event you ban TikTok, Fb and others — however principally Fb — shall be a giant beneficiary, and I feel Fb has been very busy.”
“I feel Fb has been very dangerous for our nation, particularly in relation to elections,” Trump added.
