India
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Reuters
Caught between nations: Chinese language-owned TikTok faces a US investigation
TikTok has launched a direct assault on Fb, accusing it of being a “copycat” and attempting to finish TikTok’s presence within the US underneath the guise of patriotism.
It comes as TikTok, owned by Chinese language agency ByteDance, faces recent scrutiny.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin mentioned TikTok was now being reviewed over nationwide safety issues.
In the meantime, Fb and different large tech companies are because of defend their practices in entrance of the US Congress.
Fb’s Mark Zuckerberg will be a part of Sundar Pichai from Google, Apple’s Tim Cook dinner and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to answer questions from politicians on Wednesday.
TikTok has lengthy battled allegations that it’s too near the Chinese language state – one thing it fiercely denies.
Asserting the evaluation, Secretary Mnuchin mentioned TikTok was being investigated by the Committee on Overseas Funding in the US (CFIUS), which examines business transactions for nationwide safety issues.
He didn’t say if it was linked to ByteDance’s buy of the Musical.ly app, which Reuters previously reported was being looked at by CFIUS.
A suggestion can be made to President Donald Trump this week, he mentioned. Mr Trump individually mentioned that his administration was “fascinated by” making a call on the app later this week.
It got here shortly after TikTok printed a firmly worded defence of its function in the US.
India ‘Not the enemy’
Chief executive Kevin Mayer said that whereas large companies “rightly” come underneath scrutiny, “now we have acquired much more… because of the firm’s Chinese language origins”.
He went on: “TikTok has change into the newest goal, however we aren’t the enemy”.
He additionally took direct purpose at Fb, writing off its new Instagram Reels characteristic as a TikTok clone.
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Very similar to Tiktok, the app is concentrated on short-form ephemeral video.
“Fb is even launching one other copycat product, Reels (tied to Instagram), after their different copycat Lasso failed rapidly,” Mr Meyer’s assertion mentioned.
Lasso had been known as “a TikTok clone” by media shops for its similarities, however was shut down in July.
Mr Meyer additionally defended the cultural affect of TikTok, and warned that with out his agency, American advertisers can be left with fewer choices.
A repeated theme was that TikTok was good for competitors. With out it, he wrote, “competitors would dry up and so too will an outlet for America’s inventive power”.
He additionally insisted the corporate had no political leanings or agenda.
This isn’t the primary time TikTok has confronted bother. It was recently banned in India amid heightened tensions between that nation and China.
A lawsuit filed in December alleged that TikTok despatched “huge portions” of person knowledge again to mainland China – one thing the corporate denies.
US politicians have incessantly criticised the social community, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning it could be banned.
When requested if he would suggest downloading it, he replied: “Solely in order for you your personal data within the palms of the Chinese language Communist Social gathering.”
