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The Problem the US TikTok Crackdown and Kaspersky Ban Have in Common
While Kaspersky and TikTok make very different kinds of software, the US has targeted both over national security concerns. But the looming bans have larger implications for internet freedom.
“The risks to US national security addressed in this Final Determination stem not from whether Kaspersky's products are effective at identifying viruses and other malware, but whether they can be used strategically to cause harm to the United States,” the Department of Commerce wrote last week. Unlike TikTok, a social media app that is built as a forum for discourse and can be downloaded for free, Kaspersky's antivirus product is paid software that is granted deep system access to monitor customers' devices and networks. For that reason, Riana Pfefferkorn, a policy researcher at Stanford University, argues that the US government needs to share more specific and compelling information with the general public about why they should not do business with Kaspersky, rather than paternalistically banning the app.
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