The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director has cautioned that the Chinese government may use TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, to collect and manipulate user data, as well as spread false information to divide Americans over key issues such as Taiwan. The remarks were made during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday, March 8.
The FBI’s warning came as the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that it had received two complaints from 2023 Model Y Tesla owners that their steering wheel had come off while driving. The NHTSA has launched an investigation into the issue.
Meanwhile, the US government is looking at ways to counter the perceived threat of TikTok. On Tuesday, the White House supported a bill that would give President Joe Biden greater powers to ban foreign technologies that could pose a threat to national security.
Top US intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns, and Director of the National Security Agency Paul Nakasone, have all previously warned that TikTok is a threat to US security.