Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Lisa MonacoIt said on Thursday that it does not use the social network Tik Tok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance “I don’t advise anyone to do this”It points to speculation that Washington has been circulating lately that Beijing is pressuring local companies to hand over information about their customers.

“Data collected today can be used in new ways tomorrow”According to the chain, the Justice Department’s “number two” suggests that he, along with the Commerce Department, plans to take drastic measures to prevent Washington’s rivals from acquiring American technology. CNN.

“Any company doing business in China is subject to China’s national security laws, which require it to hand over data to the state, and that’s one of the reasons we should be very concerned.”said Monaco, who accused Beijing of trying to promote its privileges and interests through technology.

Monaco, at an event in London, stressed that China’s interests are not the same as those of the United States because, he said, “they feed and are directed towards an authoritarian approach”, warning that “autocrats are looking for a tactical advantage. through the acquisition, use and abuse of technology”.

That’s why I recommend not using Tik Tok, an app that’s in the spotlight in the United States as much as it is The White House and half of state governments have banned their workers from installing it on official electronic devices out of fear that China will steal their information.

“They want to acquire technology by any means, not only to increase surveillance and repression at home and abroad, but also to gain strategic dominance,” said Monaco’s deputy district attorney.

“If a company operating in China collects your data, it’s a safe bet that the Chinese government will get access to it”suggested Monaco, who stressed that they are ready to respond with all the mechanisms at their disposal to states that use technology to undermine US alliances and national security, as well as the rule of law.

Prohibitions in Florida

In turn, it was revealed this Thursday that the US Congress of Florida will study the proposal of the governor of this state, Republican Ron DeSantis, which Prohibits the use of TikTok in public universities and schools in this state and other social networks from countries of “concern”.

According to the governor’s office, the legislative initiative aims to protect citizens’ privacy and “digital rights” against large technology firms.

The proposal would ban the use of TikTok and other China-related social media platforms from and through all state government facilities. Internet services in public schools and universitiesAs stated in the governor’s statement. The initiative is likely to be discussed at the next session of the state legislature, which will begin in March.

The governor noted that his proposal responds to efforts to “fight The evil influence of China By removing harmful platforms like TikTok from any state-sponsored activities.”

“We don’t want to wait here in Florida until we’re all in the digital dungeon,” DeSantis told reporters after announcing the initiative. “Everything in China is very healthy and patriotic, but in the United States they are trying to bring in as much garbage as possible,” said the governor, who was re-elected in November and sounds like his party’s possible candidate for the 2024 general election. .

(with information from EuropaPress and EFE)

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