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Is TikTok a national security threat – or is the ban a smokescreen for superpower rivalry?

Washington looks happy for the video app to harvest users’ data – as long as China does not reap the rewards

The US security argument against TikTok starts with the simple concern that large amounts of user data could end up in China, where it could ultimately fall into the hands of the country’s ruling Communist party. Though it is undeniable that Beijing has engaged in the hacking of western computer systems to spy, steal intellectual property and obtain personal data, there is no evidence that TikTok is a vehicle for ongoing mass surveillance. TikTok is not available in China (ByteDance runs a sister app there, Douyin) and is not overtly censored on Communist party lines, though it has been argued its soft power has influenced young people in independent Taiwan to be more pro-Beijing.

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