U.S. leaders considering banning social media giant TikTok over privacy concerns

TikTok is one of the more popular apps among young people, and the U.S. government is looking at banning it. There is concern over the new national security law after the territory's government unveiled details of the measures.

The law was imposed by China and critics say it will enable Beijing to clamp down on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Under it, police may be authorized to conduct searches for evidence without a warrant in "exceptional circumstances."

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo says the U.S is looking at banning TikTok and other Chinese social-media apps over privacy concerns. Pompeo said he wouldn't recommend downloading TikTok unless "you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party," according to an ABC News Techbytes report.

They may also apply for a warrant that requires a person suspected of violating the national security law to surrender their travel documents, thus restricting them from leaving Hong Kong.

TikTok, which allows users to post short videos online, is the second-most downloaded app with more than 2 billion downloads worldwide.