The discovery of a Chinese balloon flying over the U.S. has renewed criticism of the video-sharing app TikTok, which is owned by a Beijing-headquartered company and has been cited by U.S. policymakers as a potential national security risk, Newsweek reports.
"From the spy balloon to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans through TikTok to CCP-linked companies buying American farmland, I'm deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security," Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, tweeted Thursday.
"Sooo... everyone freaking out about one Chinese spy balloon... when over 80 million people in the US have TikTok on their phones... got it," tweeted conservative political commentator Tim Young.
China claims that the balloon was merely a weather research "airship" that blew off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China's contention that the balloon, about the size of two school buses, was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The balloon was detected over sensitive military sites in Montana but had moved eastward over the heartland of the central United States by midday and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said.
President Joe Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon.
Florida State Rep. Carolina Amesty, a Republican, on Tuesday introduced a bill to ban TikTok on state-owned devices, citing the balloon.
"The fact that a Chinese spy balloon is hovering over our skies underscores the seriousness of the national security threat our country is facing," she tweeted.
"This is precisely why I have filed a bill to ban TikTok, which is a front for the Chinese Communist Party, on Florida state devices."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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