US TikTok ban is good for the West, but what about Meta and X?  

There’s an endless stream of cat videos and makeup tutorials. However, the US government recognizes a credible threat to national security. And rightfully so.

TikTok is already being used by the Chinese government to expand its external influence in the West. After years of largely avoiding the issue, it’s time for the United States to do something about it. What the company did, of course, is pass a bill in the House of Representatives last week that would ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent ByteDance sells its U.S. operations.

Ultimately, the bill could be a “win-win” if passed by the Senate, according to the New York University marketing professor. Scott Galloway said so.. If TikTok were to be sold to a US owner, the app would not be banned in the US, the company’s value could actually rise, and Western countries would be worried about propaganda-related security concerns ahead of the upcoming US presidential election. The threat could be thwarted.

The only problem is that the cybersecurity threat that caused this landslide vote in the House isn’t all that unique to TikTok. So in just 12 pages,, TikTok, and TikTok alone, this bill has received some backlash. A more nuanced bill could have addressed broader data security concerns that exist across all social media platforms and threaten Western national security.

So what is it about TikTok that has the U.S. government so upset?

Like all Big Tech companies, TikTok stores large amounts of data about its users, which include more than 170 million Americans. Data collected by TikTok It goes far beyond in-app information, such as which videos a user has participated in. TikTok can access your age, location, phone contacts, and even data from other social media platforms if you link your accounts.

You might say, no big deal, every company collects that kind of data. However, as a Chinese company, ByteDance benefits from China’s cybersecurity law, in which case they could be required to hand over their data to the Chinese Communist Party. However, there is scant evidence that this has ever happened.

Then there’s the issue of publicity. One report said the Chinese government is using TikTok to “sow doubts about U.S. leadership, undermine democracy, and expand Beijing’s influence.” Reports released this month By the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The report also shows that the Chinese government used TikTok to influence the 2022 midterm elections. If that happens, there is certainly a possibility that China will use TikTok to interfere in the next US presidential election.

But then again, is this really unique to TikTok?

“What we heard in today’s classified briefing was not unique to TikTok. It was happening across all social media platforms,” ​​said Rep. Sarah Jacobs (D-Calif.). Told. told the Associated Press.

Although it is certainly well known, China also uses US-owned platforms Expand your influence overseas like Facebook and Instagram. According to the State DepartmentThe Chinese government annually engages in efforts to spread misinformation by buying stakes in foreign media companies, sponsoring online influencers, and entering into distribution agreements that spread unlabeled Chinese government content. Billions of dollars are being spent.

So one might go a step further and ask: Does Congress fully understand the security threat TikTok poses compared to other social media platforms? Because they didn’t seem like it when TikTok CEO Shou Chew was bombarded with strange questions last year. Congressional hearing.

The House should have drafted a broader data privacy bill that would allow Americans to opt out of data collection by all tech giants, not just TikTok. Such laws better reflect the security threats posed by social media platforms.Once again, the debate over such data privacy laws It’s been going on for 20 yearsand it is unclear whether Congress will pass it.

Therefore, while there is no doubt that the bill still leaves something to be desired, it is too early to call it a failure. If it forces ByteDance to sell, everyone in the West will be better protected from real and Congress-partially imagined security threats.

Jonah Pruskey is a Canadian commentator based in London. He has written for Canadian publications including the Globe and Mail, CBC, Toronto Star, Canadian Affairs, and the Calgary Herald.