Does the Chinese social network TikTok pose a threat to US national security?

Yes, according to its detractors.

For the latter, the danger comes mainly from the fact that the parent company of the platform, the Chinese group ByteDance, is theoretically subject to the control of the Chinese Communist Party.

Among the concerns, four main arguments are put forward by specialists: data sharing, espionage, censorship and misinformation.

Concern about the data collected

Like its competitors Instagram, Snapchat or YouTube, TikTok's model is based on the use of data from its users, many of whom are very young.

Critics of the social network worry that this data can be exploited by the authoritarian Chinese regime.

However, some experts believe these concerns are exaggerated.

They argue that many malicious actors can gain access to this data regardless of who owns the platform.

Another fear of some, access to phone features by the parent company.

"Every time you download an application on a phone, it is possible that this application is used to access other things" on the device, recalls Michael Daniel, director general of the Cyber ​​Threat Alliance, a non-governmental organization dedicated to computer security.

Through the application, whether TikTok or another, a malicious operator can in particular "activate the microphone or the camera of this equipment without the user even being aware of it", continues Michael Daniel, former coordinator in cybersecurity within the US National Security Council.

Chinese Regime Censorship Questions

Among the risks associated with TikTok, experts also cite the possibility for Chinese authorities to censor certain content to align with the policies of the Chinese Communist Party.

“The idea is that the Chinese government could enjoin TikTok not to allow content that supports (the protest in Tibet or Taiwan) to filter through its platform and, as a result, shape the information landscape” accessible to users. , according to Michael Daniel.



TikTok claims to have never intervened in its content to satisfy the Chinese authorities.

Beyond a possible moderation of politically oriented content, observers raise the possibility that TikTok is used to influence opinion and disrupt the democratic process in the United States, like the campaign led by Russia before the 2016 US presidential election. As a weapon to destabilize the Chinese regime.

Company

TikTok, a "staggeringly naive" network that disseminates Russian propaganda, denounces Macron

high tech

TikTok pinned by Arcom for its lack of transparency on "fake news", in a report

  • Smartphone deals

  • Amazon Buyer's Guide

  • Purchase guide

  • high tech