Are you also feeling the growing anxiety surrounding the popular video app TikTok? Globally, governments are taking steps to restrict TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, because of potential data security threats.
An increasing number of lawmakers in the United States, Europe and Canada are concerned that TikTok could put sensitive user data such as location information in the hands of the Chinese government. These fears are fueled by laws that allow the Chinese government to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens for intelligence operations. Added to this is the fear that China could use TikTok's content recommendations for disinformation.
TikTok has always denied such allegations and has tried to distance itself from ByteDance. Nevertheless, restrictions continue to emerge around the world. India banned the platform in 2020, causing ByteDance to lose one of its largest markets. Other countries and government bodies, including Britain, Australia, Canada, the executive arm of the European Union, France and the New Zealand parliament, have banned the app on official devices.
In the United States, several states have begun banning TikTok on government-issued devices since November, and many universities have blocked it on campus Wi-Fi networks. However, this has not prevented students from continuing to use the app via mobile data.
The White House recently called for its Chinese owners to sell the app or risk a possible ban. The government has kept relatively quiet so far, although it recently referred to an ongoing investigation in response to questions about TikTok.
Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: the debate over TikTok privacy and security will have a major impact on companies and organizations worldwide. There are several possible approaches besides a ban. For example, the government may approve TikTok's plan to operate in the United States. There is also the possibility that lawmakers will force ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company. In short, the impact of this issue on companies and organizations worldwide will be significant.