Americans are getting closer to blocking TikTok. FCC praises India. “We must follow the example”

Brendan Carr, a high-ranking member of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said in an interview with an Indian daily that India set an “incredibly important precedent” by deciding to completely block the Chinese social networking site 2.5 years ago.

TikTok was banned in India in mid-2020 along with hundreds of other Chinese websites and programs that were deemed a potential threat to “national security”. Americans have been expressing similar concerns for a long time and are getting closer to imposing a nationwide ban on the popular social network.

FCC Commissioner on TikTok: We have to follow the example

Carr acknowledged that blocking TikTok in the US is “a natural next step in efforts to secure communications networks.” He also called the social networking site a “sophisticated surveillance tool” that poses a threat to “national security.” He added that in his opinion “all confidential data goes to Beijing” and can be used against the United States.

He also explained that India is proof that blocking applications is possible in practice. “We need to follow India’s example more widely to eliminate other nefarious apps as well,” he added. He also admitted that the FCC was debating banning TikTok in the US, and that India’s example was “educational and helpful.”

Before the ban, TikTok had a trifle of 200 million active users in India. It was therefore the largest non-Chinese market for the platform.

Americans are getting closer to blocking TikTok

Voices critical of TikTok among American politicians have been present in the USA for a long time. As now, 19 out of 50 US states have blocked (at least partially) access to the platform on the official devices of politicians and employees associated with the government. Most of the bans were imposed in December 2022.

For a similar step, according to Brendan Carr, the only way out is to introduce a top-down, complete blocking of applications in the USA. TikTok has about 100 million users in the United States.