‘Spy balloon in your phone’: growing calls to ban TikTok threaten its future

US legislation could block the social media app as fears of Chinese state surveillance increase

The Chinese spy balloon that hovered over the US last month did not just damage relations between Beijing and Washington, it also cast a shadow over the future of TikTok.

Last week, a US congressional committee backed legislation that would give the US president the power to ban the Chinese-owned social video app. The Republican chair of the committee, Michael McCaul, said the incident had reinforced fears of Chinese state surveillance, describing TikTok as a spy balloon in your phone".