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| The logo of social media video sharing app TikTok, and US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, July 30, are seen in this combination of file photos created Aug. 01. AFP-Yonhap |
By Kim Yoo-chul
Regulators here are "monitoring" the latest moves by India, Japan and the United States against TikTok before possibly instituting a similar ban on the app stating data and privacy concerns.
Senior industry officials contacted by The Korea Times, Sunday, said while "nothing definitive" had been decided it was possible the government would take action against the app which has raised security concerns. TikTok was the country's most downloaded Android video-sharing application ahead of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook as of July this year.
"The country's top telecom regulator is closely monitoring the latest updates and other relevant developments on TikTok primarily from data and privacy concerns. A possible ban of TikTok is likely but only after further evidence justifying the app operator's direct involvement in seriously abusing data and the privacy of its Korean users. We are keeping an eye on TikTok," an official directly involved with the matter said.
Korea's top telecom regulator, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), recently imposed a 186 million fine on TikTok for collecting personal information of users under the age of 14 without parental consent and not previously notifying users about transferring the collected data to its corporate servers overseas, in Singapore and the United States, the KCC said.
There has been a lot of news over the past month in the social media world. TikTok was banned in India following a military showdown with China. Facebook appeared in front of Congress defending its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok and Microsoft announced a possible bid for the app.
The officials said it was worthwhile watching moves by Japanese regulators regarding the app as talk of a U.S. ban picked up steam. Tokyo is also considering a similar ban. However, TikTok's regulatory troubles and security concerns failed to slow down the app's adoption in Korea, according to sources.
Mark Shmulik, a senior analyst at Bernstein Research said Japanese regulators and businesses were closely watching global events unfurl. Similarly, he said it wouldn't be surprised to see announcements of "imminent bans."
Europe, regarded as a "wildcard," has yet to clarify its views on the app. TikTok recently announced its first EU data center will be constructed in Ireland as part of a move to entrench the app in that market.
"The TikTok issue has clearly become part of 'which country you will support more' as political tensions between the United States and China are growing further. Trump is pressuring long-time allies of the U.S. to stand behind its campaign at a time leading up to an election when political talks and discussions on the app are increasing," another government source said.
TikTok published a statement Friday in which it said it "will pursue all remedies available … in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly ― if not by the administration, then by the US courts."
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