U.S. Ban on TikTok?
TikTok, a short-form video app, was launched in 2017 for IOS and Android in most markets outside China. In 2016, the Chinese tech company ByteDance released a rapidly-expanding short-form video app named Douyin (originally A.me). TikTok was released by that same company shortly after in order to expand the app beyond Mainland China. ByteDance acquired a similar app named Musical.ly a couple years after and merged the two under the name TikTok.. TikTok hit its peak during the global pandemic of Covid, where it was downloaded 693 million times in 2019 and 850 million in 2020. With over 30 million daily users, it is no surprise that people love the app. Currently, the U.S. is considering the ban of TikTok due to suspicion of unsafety about the app. Specifically, it is the Republican legislators in Congress that are perturbed that ByteDance could potentially be using users' data to track location, browsing history, and more invasive personal information.
What data does TikTok collect?
Generally, the app accumulates data to improve its performance for users. For instance, TikTok collects information such as users’ watch history, search history, frequently visited hashtags, and favorited TikToks, in order to develop an understanding of user’s interests. This is the reason for TikTok’s allegedly ‘addictive’ nature; The collected data is utilized to formulate users’ “For You Page” that provides users with an endless feed of entertainment that is tailored to them. However, Congress is more so concerned about any additional information that TikTok may be collecting posing a potential threat to American users / national security. Forms of data collections that Congress believes TikTok potentially utilizes are location data, contact information, website tracking, and conversation records from messages sent through the app. According to ByteDance, current versions of the software do not gather location data from users in the United States. Despite continual speculation, it is difficult to confirm exactly what data TikTok is and is not tracking, as the tech company is based outside of a US under a harsh governmental regime. The U.S. government is concerned about the Chinese government accessing data and selling it to other companies for profit while putting its users in the U.S. at risk.
Shou Zi Chew’s Testimony
On March 23rd, 2023, the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, testified before the U.S. Congress where he underwent thorough questioning. Tony Cárdenas, a Democrat from California, asked Chew directly if TikTok is a Chinese corporation. Chew stated that TikTok is a global platform that is not available in mainland China and is based in Singapore and Los Angeles. Additionally, Neal Dunn, a Republican from Florida, asked bluntly if ByteDance had "spied on American citizens" - a query that came amid claims that the business examined journalists' files in an attempt to discover which employees were leaking information. Chew said, "Spying is not the correct word to use.”
In an effort to quell concerns about Chinese influence, TikTok has pledged to relocate all U.S. user data to servers outside of China through an effort titled Project Texas. The company has promised to complete the effort by the end of the year, but some legislators questioned whether that is possible, with hundreds of millions of lines of source code requiring review in a relatively short amount of time.
“I am concerned that what you’re proposing with Project Texas just doesn’t have the technical capability of providing us the assurances that we need,” California republican Jay Obernolte, a software engineer, said.
Youth Safety
Amongst the general concerns regarding the dangers TikTok potentially poses to its users, young people are of particular concern. According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of adolescents in the U.S. use TikTok, with 67% of persons aged 13 to 17 stating they have used the app and 16% indicating they use it "very daily." The legislators proposed alleged accusations during the meeting, about how drug-related content has expanded on the app, allowing minors to readily purchase harmful items online. Chew stated that such content is against TikTok policy and is removed when it is discovered. “We take this very seriously,” Chew said. “This is an industry-wide challenge, and we’re investing as much as we can. We don’t think it represents the majority of the users’ experience on TikTok, but it does happen.” It is clear that Chew is adamant on prioritizing users’ safety, as he says that for the past two years ByteDance has been “building what amounts to a firewall that seals off protected US user data from unauthorized foreign access.”
So, what is going to happen to TikTok?
At the time of writing, the U.S. government has not imposed a ban on TikTok in the country, despite worries over data sharing with the Chinese government. However, the future standing of TikTok in the U.S. is unknown.
Adalia Vargas is a current high school sophomore in Manhattan, New York. She is an academically driven student and is passionate about sharing youth’s ideals and values through her words. Her goal is to bring awareness to societal matters and social injustices that need it, to steer society in a progressive route. She hopes to represent youth’s voices and participate in bringing reform. Additionally, Adalia is interested in an array of political issues, mainly education, diversity, healthcare, environmental issues, representation of marginalized communities, and racial equality. Outside of school, she is a part of the STEM Research Academy at Baruch, participates in spreading climate education awareness, and has been a part of multiple STEM-focused activities. Adalia hopes to expand her interest in the life sciences, as she is planning to major in neuroscience in college.