It’s Time to Get Real About TikTok’s Risks
WiredAmid a flurry of talking points and takedowns as the United States midterm elections loom, lawmakers and regulators have reheated claims about TikTok, a social media app they say poses a threat to personal privacy and US national security. Owned by the Chinese tech giant Bytedance, TikTok has more than a billion users, including an estimated 135 million in the US, and some lawmakers, including former president Donald Trump, have warned over the past two years that the Chinese government could use the app to collect data on Americans or launch influence operations through the platform. A report published by Semafor on Friday indicates that the Biden administration is preparing a series of executive orders to address TikTok and the Chinese tech sector's access to Americans' data more broadly. The report says the White House's actions could significantly curtail US investment in China, while other potential measures may limit what technology can be sold to Chinese clients and specifically limit the data Chinese tech companies can collect about US citizens. In the waning months of the Trump administration, the White House attempted to block TikTok from US app stores if ByteDance didn't sell the company to a US-based firm.