Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, said he has two concerns with the video-hosting service TikTok, namely, the app’s capability to collect data and potential to promote influence operations, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Nakasone, who also serves as commander of U.S. Cyber Command and chief of the Central Security Service, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday about his concerns about who controls the algorithm and the large number of TikTok users.
In addition to potential influence, he cited the capability of the app to “turn off the message.”
TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance and has been under scrutiny over concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to user data.
A bipartisan group of 12 senators was scheduled to propose Tuesday a measure that would provide Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo new authorities to ban TikTok and other technologies in the event that they are found to pose risk to national security.
