TikTok is scheduled to cease its U.S. operations on Sunday, coinciding with the implementation of a federal ban, unless a last-minute intervention occurs, according to sources familiar with the situation. The application has a user base of 170 million individuals in the United States.
In July of the previous year, President-elect Donald Trump stated that he would not permit a ban on TikTok.
Below is a comprehensive overview of the allegations made against the company and its parent organization, ByteDance, in the United States.
TIKTOK MANAGEMENT IS SUBJECT TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
FBI Director Chris Wray has indicated that TikTok presents a national security threat, noting that Chinese firms are obligated to comply with the Chinese government’s demands regarding information sharing and serving as instruments of state control.
Congressional members have expressed concerns that the Chinese government possesses a “golden share” in ByteDance, which grants it influence over TikTok.
TikTok has clarified that “an entity associated with the Chinese government owns 1% of a ByteDance subsidiary, Douyin Information Service,” asserting that this ownership “does not impact ByteDance’s global operations outside of China, including TikTok.”
TIKTOK COULD BE UTILIZED TO INFLUENCE AMERICANS
Director Wray has also articulated that the U.S. operations of TikTok raise significant national security issues, as the Chinese government might exploit the video-sharing platform to sway users or manipulate their devices.
The potential risks include “the possibility that the Chinese government could utilize (TikTok) to oversee data collection on millions of users or manipulate the recommendation algorithm, which could be employed for influence operations,” Wray informed U.S. lawmakers.
Former National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone expressed concerns in March 2023 regarding the data collected by TikTok, the algorithm that disseminates information to users, and “the control of who possesses the algorithm.”
He emphasized that the TikTok platform could facilitate extensive influence operations, as it has the capacity to actively shape user opinions and could also “suppress the message.”
TikTok asserts that it “does not allow any government to influence or alter its recommendation model.”
In a ruling that upheld the law, a panel of three judges from a federal appeals court stated: “The extensive efforts over several years by both political branches to examine the national security threats associated with the TikTok platform, as well as to evaluate potential solutions proposed by TikTok, strongly support the (law).”
TIKTOK WILL PROVIDE AMERICANS’ DATA TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
Legislators have claimed that the Chinese government, under a 2017 National Intelligence law, has the authority to compel ByteDance to disclose TikTok user information. TikTok contends that, being incorporated in California and Delaware, it is governed by U.S. laws and regulations.
The chief executive of TikTok has maintained that the company has never shared, nor will it ever share, U.S. user data with the Chinese government.
TIKTOK’S IMPACT ON CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
In March 2022, eight states, including California and Massachusetts, initiated an investigation into whether TikTok inflicts physical or mental health damage on young individuals and what the company was aware of regarding its contribution to these issues.
The inquiry centers on how TikTok enhances engagement among young users, including claims of increasing the amount of time spent on the platform and the frequency of its use.
TikTok claims to have implemented various measures “to ensure that teenagers under 18 have a safe and enjoyable experience on the app, many of which impose restrictions not found on similar platforms.”
TIKTOK MONITORS JOURNALISTS
In December 2022, ByteDance acknowledged that some employees had inappropriately accessed TikTok user data belonging to two journalists.
The access was part of an unsuccessful attempt to investigate leaks of company information earlier that year, with the goal of identifying possible connections between the two journalists—a former BuzzFeed reporter and a Financial Times reporter—and company personnel.
A source familiar with the situation informed Reuters that four employees of ByteDance connected to the incident have been terminated, comprising two individuals in China and two in the United States. Company representatives stated that they are implementing further measures to safeguard user data.
