From: allin
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives recently introduced a bill that would effectively TikTok Ban in the United States [01:06:31]. The bill, officially named the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” mandates that ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, must divest its ownership of the platform within 165 days [01:06:37]. Failure to do so would make it illegal for companies like Apple and Google to host TikTok in their app stores [01:06:51].
Background and Core Concerns
TikTok currently has 170 million users in the U.S. [01:06:59]. While TikTok claims to be headquartered in Singapore [01:07:03], some former and current employees consider this claim to be “nonsense” [01:07:05].
The primary concerns driving the TikTok Ban Debate and proposed ban revolve around:
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Data Access and National Security:
- Critics argue that ByteDance, being a Chinese company, is susceptible to influence from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) [01:07:51].
- In 2021, the CCP reportedly took a board seat on ByteDance’s Beijing-based subsidiary [01:07:17].
- In 2022, ByteDance admitted to accessing IP addresses and data of journalists covering TikTok to identify leakers [01:07:23]. ByteDance claims to have fired those involved [01:07:34].
- A former head of engineering at ByteDance US claimed in 2018 that CCP members had “god mode” access to user data [01:07:36].
- It is generally presumed that all major tech companies, including Facebook, Google, and Apple, are infiltrated by various intelligence apparatuses, suggesting a “100% certainty that this data is getting back to not just the Chinese but multiple state sponsored actors” [01:11:02].
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Influence through Algorithm and Content:
- There is concern that the CCP could use its access to TikTok’s algorithms to influence public opinion, especially during elections or conflicts [01:13:01].
- A potential “doomsday scenario” involves the CCP tweaking algorithms to promote or suppress content that could disrupt the social fabric or election cycle [01:13:50].
- The ranking of videos on TikTok is crucial given its auto-play feed, unlike other social media platforms where users select content [01:14:08].
- An example cited was a “significant surge in Pro Hamas videos relative to Israel support videos” observed after October 7th [01:13:35].
- The platform’s power to influence decisions, including votes, by frequently showing certain content, makes it “far too powerful for the CCP to have any kind of access to it” [01:14:39].
Arguments for the Ban/Divestment
The TikTok Ban Debate often centers on the principle of reciprocity in international trade and digital presence.
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Lack of Reciprocity:
- The U.S. does not allow American social networks like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to operate in China [01:12:10].
- Palmer Luckey’s “Law of Equivalent Exchange” suggests that China should not be able to sell a product (like TikTok) to the U.S. if the U.S. cannot sell a similar product to China [01:11:40].
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National Security:
- David Sacks believes that if TikTok is indeed sharing data with the CCP, the U.S. is “well within rights” to either ban it or require divestment [01:08:19].
- The proposed bill is seen as “cleaner and better and more narrowly targeted at divesture” than previous attempts, which included prohibitions on VPN usage [01:09:07].
TikTok’s Response and Counterarguments
TikTok denies sharing user data with the CCP and states it “has not and will not share user data with the CCP” [01:07:12]. They are actively fighting the proposed TikTok ban and divestment [01:07:56].
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Denial of Data Sharing:
- TikTok claims its headquarters are in Singapore [01:07:03].
- Despite widespread assumptions, TikTok is denying that it shares data with the CCP, and due process in America suggests that “some evidence should be provided that that actually is taking place” [01:09:24].
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Threat Inflation and Domestic Concerns:
- The narrative around foreign actors secretly influencing and brainwashing citizens through social media might be “threat inflation” or “completely bogus” [01:18:00].
- The “disinformation narrative” is pushed by the U.S. intelligence community and political actors who “want to regulate quote disinformation on our own social networks” [01:18:31].
- Past examples like the Twitter files revealed a “cozy relationship” between the intelligence community and Twitter, where they attempted to control content, such as blocking the New York Post URL related to Hunter Biden’s laptop [01:18:51]. This is seen as a form of “election interference” [01:19:12].
- The argument is that the U.S. should be equally concerned about domestic influence on social media as it is about alleged Chinese influence [01:20:30].
Proposed Solutions
The most prominent solution is the TikTok ban and divestment:
- Divestment: Requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to an entity known to be completely separate from the CCP and not cooperate with it [01:08:41]. This aligns with former President Trump’s suggestion [01:08:31].
Impact and Future of TikTok in US
The ongoing TikTok Ban Debate and the legislative push for divestment highlight significant tensions in USChina relations and TikTok debate. The outcome will determine the future of the platform and its 170 million U.S. users, as well as set a precedent for how the U.S. handles foreign-controlled technology platforms perceived as national security risks. The core of the TikTok and National Security argument is that the platform’s potential for data collection and algorithmic influence is too significant to remain under control of an adversary government [01:10:01]. The broader Influence of TikTok on news consumption and political discourse also remains a key concern.