The launch of Tiktok revolutionized the concept of social networks and although many have tried to imitate the short video proposal and its recommendation algorithm on their platforms, users have shown a unique loyalty.
However, Since 2020, Tiktok has been questioned by large nationsnot only because of the risk that the viralization of some content has meant mainly in minorsbut also for a data security issue.
Controversy
Before Donald Trump finished his term, the former president went after the social network and the threat of its ban was close under the argument that the platform represented a risk to national security. However, when Joe Biden ascended to the presidency, in 2021 he canceled the proposal.
But the controversy around Tiktok continued.
At the beginning of 2023, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and member countries of the European Union They prohibited public employees from downloading and using the application.
By then, the BBC reported that the platform already had 3.5 billion downloads, according to Sensor Tower; which increased concern about cybersecurity and In addition to the geopolitical tensions between the West and China, Well, Tiktok belongs to the technology company ByteDance.
New setback of the app
A year after that controversial decision, Tiktok is once again making the headlines, after the United States Congress a bill seeking platform ban in the country, which can also be translated into a strategy for the Chinese company to sell the company.
The main reason for the search for this law is once again security and the amount of data that the application collects. In 2022, Australian researchers revealed that the app has “excessive data collection,” including user’s location, the device they use and applications they have downloaded.
The company Citizen Lab also issued a report at the time that concluded that “compared to other popular social media platforms, “TikTok collects similar types of data to track user behavior.”
US argument
Among the arguments that the White House and Congress are currently presenting in their campaign seeking to approve the Act to Protect Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries, the main one is that the Chinese State requires ByteDance to hand over the data of its American users and that the company is forced to do so by Beijing legislation.
In that sense, the leaders of this bill have asserted that China could access data of US citizens or develop a disinformation campaign.
«TikTok claims concerns are unfounded. He notes that about 60% of the company is owned by global institutional investors, including financial giants Susquehanna International Group and BlackRock. It also says three Americans sit on its five-person board. According to the company, it has spent more than $1 billion on a scheme that stores sensitive data of US users on servers managed by Oracle, the US cloud computing company. The New York Times.
What is the future of Tiktok?
The bill states that ByteDance has six months to sell the app to a buyer the United States is happy with and it must be guaranteed that the Chinese company no longer has any type of control over Tiktok, specifically its algorithms and user data.
If the sale does not go through, app stores in the United States are prohibited from distributing or updating Tiktok in the country, and They could face sanctions from the Department of Justice.
ByteDance could also take on putting the Tiktok shares sale for the general public.
Political impact
The bill It has been supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
Although both parties have expressed concern about China’s influence, Trump, who is currently seeking to be the Republican candidate for the presidency of the United States, he opposed the bill.
Likewise, groups that defend freedom of expression are also opposed, as well as influencers and those who use the app to monetize content.
#Tiktok #pose #threat #nations
