ANALYSIS: Security concerns or elements of Trump's election campaign?

Trump himself has pointed out the Chinese ownership interest behind the app (the company ByteDance) as a security risk. The app could help Chinese authorities map US citizens by accessing the app's user data.

The accusations against Tiktok are recognizable from those leveled against the Chinese telecom operator Huawei. A year ago, Huawei was put on a list of companies that American companies are not allowed to work with. The allegations against Huawei led to several major players (including Google) withdrawing from cooperation with Huawei. They were uttered during a period when the Trump administration was in an open trade war with China.

In the election campaign four years ago, the tough outbursts against the trading nation China were an important element in Trump's election campaign. It promised unemployed American workers protection against what was portrayed as unfair competition from China. 

Last year, the Chinese-owned Gay dating app Grindr was also pressured to change owners. The US authorities feared that information from the app could be picked up by Chinese authorities and then used for blackmail against individual US government officials for the purpose of obtaining information or to exert influence.

According to a report from the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) from 2019, China is conducting extensive cyber espionage against both military and civilian targets. The report points out that state-authorized espionage is facilitated by the fact that the boundaries between state and private actors in China are "unclear". 

So what is the US pressure on Tiktok's Chinese owners about? Concern for the country's security, or another protectionist move in an election campaign in which Donald Trump is in a state of public opinion? Maybe the answer is: both. The latter suggests that Tiktok has been an upstart that has challenged the American IT giants' dominance on the internet. American Microsoft's possible acquisition of Tiktok's American operations, which has been on the agenda after Trump's move, would undeniably confirm that dominance.