What we should know about TikTok's national security debate !

With more than one-third of US mobile internet users and more than a billion monthly users in 154 countries, the video-sharing app TikTok has surpassed all other social media platforms.

It has gained widespread use during the pandemic, with everyone from high school principals using TikTok challenges as a way to connect with their students to real estate agents using the platform to promote their listings.

The app, which allows users to view and share short videos of themselves lip-syncing, dancing, or telling jokes, has also been responsible for launching influencers who have become famous careers like Katy Nichole, whose In Jesus' Name (God of Possible) reached 80 million views, before launching her career as a Christian singer.

What could go wrong?

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In addition to concerns that TikTok users are now spending more time watching videos from strangers and even less time connecting with friends and people they know—average usage statistics range from forty-five minutes to more than an hour and a half a day—serious concerns about security, privacy and potential risk to national security have emerged.

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Originally launched in China in 2016 under the name Douyin, Beijing-based TikTok owner ByteDance – valued at over $400 billion – is partly owned by the Chinese government. ByteDance has been accused of working with the Chinese government to censor content the communists consider controversial, including concerns about human rights in China, protests in Hong Kong and internment camps. And there are concerns that the Chinese government could use the platform to launch influence or disinformation campaigns.

In addition to these social and censorship concerns, there is uneasiness in the United States about national security. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump announced plans to ban TikTok and considered an executive order to force ByteDance to divest its US TikTok entity. While those plans have not come to fruition, President Joe Biden is considering an executive order that would require disclosure and possibly limit US investment in Chinese technology companies.

These pending restrictions are a response not only to rising tensions between the US and China, but also to data privacy concerns. While TikTok is banned from government devices, concerns remain that the Chinese government could collect data on the location, movement and possibly more of military members on soldiers' personal devices.

In July testimony to a House National Security Oversight Committee panel, Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, said: “There are a number of ways that sensitive data coming back to Beijing with its sophisticated [artificial intelligence] could ultimately be used to harm the US. national security." He added: "At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that collects vast amounts of sensitive data from search and viewing history, typing patterns, and location All concerns about TikTok are escalating in military context.

In June, BuzzFeed reported on leaked audio from internal TikTok meetings containing statements by nine TikTok employees that Chinese employees had access to personal user data in the US as recently as January 2022. These statements contradict TikTok's sworn testimony before a Senate hearing in 2021. On the same day, TikTok announced that it was migrating 100% of its US user traffic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure – a central aspect of TikTok's Project Texas initiative – with data centers in the US and Singapore being used as backups, but with the intention of "going fully cloud-based Oracle Services'. based in the US."

what does that mean to you

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[Reuben Maher

Reuben Maher, COO of cybersecurity and analytics firm Skybrid Solutions, advises users that TikTok ... ]

Reuben Maher, COO of cyber and analytics company Skybrid Solutions, advises users to understand that on TikTok, your data is not just a commodity, but an asset of such great value that management at China's ByteDance is reluctant to give it up. While this is common among social media platforms, what is unique about TikTok is its symbiotic ties with China: its data continues to be stored on servers in mainland China, and its management team still reports to ByteDance's Chinese leadership.

At a minimum, this user data may be used by third-party tracking devices with which TikTok shares your data to track your activity, regardless of whether you are actively using the app. Alternatively, user data could be used to track Americans and potentially be used for nefarious purposes if shared with the Chinese government – ​​a very real concern of the US government and intelligence community.”

So the main question is why is the data of American citizens so valuable? Maher continues: “TikTok data fits into a broader conversation about national security. If you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the Chinese have been accused of massive data hacks across various government agencies, commercial entities and industry leaders.

This led to their successful capture of an unprecedented amount of disparate data on US citizens – essentially individual pieces of the puzzle. Coupled with their world-class expertise in artificial intelligence and the Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative, China has the ability to put all these pieces of the puzzle together into a disturbingly complex digital mosaic presenting an unprecedented and unfiltered view into the lives of millions of Americans.

With China-owned ByteDance and Pinduoduo launching international e-commerce platform competitors to Amazon, China's opportunity to obtain citizen data will increase. To what extent this represents an increased threat to US national security remains to be seen, yet it is a threat that everyone should be aware of, cautious and vigilant about.

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Warm regards,
@Winy