TikTok helps spread fake news and malicious content, MPs say in house

Bengaluru: Chinese short-video app TikTok shares user data of Indians with China and helps spread “fake news” and “malicious content” in the country, two parliamentarians alleged on Thursday, after another member of Parliament made a similar claim earlier this week.
Pinaki Mishra, the Biju Janata Dal MP from Puri, and Jayadev Galla of the Telugu Desam Party representing the Guntur constituency, raised these concerns in Parliament about Chinese startup Byte-Dance, which is the parent of Tik-Tok and regional language social networking app Helo. It is one of the most valued startups globally. “India has a neighbour who is hell-bent on collecting data and information from India. This is not going to benefit India but (it’s) for their own benefit, their future,” Mishra said, urging the government to implement a data protection law.