The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI are conducting an investigation into the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, over claims that its employees spied on journalists, according to a law enforcement official. The DOJ is leading the probe, which is also being carried out by prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia and the FBI. Both the DOJ and the FBI declined to comment. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has already fired those implicated in the alleged spying.
The investigation into ByteDance comes amid heightened concerns about the security risks posed by TikTok. The Biden administration has warned it will ban the app in the US unless ByteDance sells it. Several US government agencies have banned the social media app from the phones of employees. Intelligence officials have previously voiced fears that China could use TikTok to spy on Americans or influence US public opinion.
Forbes first reported on the federal investigation, saying ByteDance’s internal investigation had found employees HAD accessed IP addresses and other data belonging to reporters and contacts through their TikTok accounts in an attempt to identify sources of leaks.
Not the Fist Time TikTok Has Been the Center of Controversy
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House was concerned about China’s potential use of software platforms that could threaten US safety and national security. She stated that the administration had called on Congress to take action and reiterated that a group of federal agencies were reviewing TikTok’s software. President Biden has backed legislation that would allow the federal government to regulate and ban foreign-produced technology, including TikTok. The bill would give the Secretary of Commerce the power to regulate tech produced by six countries with adversarial relationships with the US.
Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the legislation. If passed, it would give the US government the power to control technology from countries like China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.
The issue has been of concern to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy stating on Friday that he believes TikTok represents a national security risk. However, it remains unclear how far lawmakers are willing to go to address the issue.
A ByteDance spokesperson has stated an internal investigation is still ongoing, and the company will cooperate with any official investigations.
