Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has cultivated an immense user base of over one billion active users, with more than a tenth of its users hailing from the United States. However, not only have research studies demonstrated the adverse effects of indulging in the application’s addictive algorithm, federal officials and security experts fear the sensitive data collected by TikTok as well. The U.S. must find a solution to ensure that its users can continue using the app without having to worry about the dangers of the content they watch and the potential breaches on their data.
When Chinese tech giant ByteDance began its global expansion of TikTok in 2018, it quickly became a staple of everyday usage and popular culture. Building off the technology built by its predecessors, Musical.ly and Douyin, the application hosted a powerful algorithm capable of determining which content would best appeal to its unique host of users.
Following this sudden surge in users, issues regarding data security have nurtured legal action against the app. TikTok, according to its privacy policy, collects a huge variety of data, ranging from location data, phone models, keystroke rhythms when people type, and the statistics of each video uploaded. However, TikTok, unlike its U.S.-based rivals who have met similar criticism regarding user privacy, has demonstrated thus far a willingness to be transparent about its data collection and flow.
Regardless of TikTok’s supposed transparency, many countries are skeptical of the application’s collection of sensitive data. For example, in 2020, India banned the application after receiving complaints that it was “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data.” Similarly, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office and Australian intelligence agencies continue to conduct probing investigations on the application though they have not yet revealed what they seek.
The U.S. government has long argued that the immense amounts of data that TikTok holds on its American user base pose a threat if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is to get access to such information. During the interrogation of ByteDance CEO Shou Chew, American senators desired to take further action against the application by revealing its true intentions and bolstering their stance. Though Chew stated that ByteDance was neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese government, his vague answer does not ensure that China will not attempt to obtain sensitive private information.
The widespread concern for data security is valid when considering China’s history of hacking, purchasing data, and supplying software altered to spy on its users. As such, various institutions have acted in response to these accusations. For instance, Auburn University in Alabama was met with immense student backlash after the campus banned TikTok from campus Wi-Fi networks, noting how the restriction hinders entertainment and the perpetuation of school culture.
However, instead of outright banning the app, I believe that passing legislation that limits data collection and forcing American companies to increase cybersecurity protection would be a better starting point in ensuring the safety of all American citizens’ data.
The United States has the responsibility to protect the privacy of its populace, especially its young people. As we become increasingly more dependent on the Internet, our data must be held securely. Regardless of their intentions, America must stay suspicious and wary of foreign powers’ information and influence on the U.S. population in a globalized and digitized world.
