The United States’ decision to ban TikTok from its territory, unless the company separates from the parent company, is the right one.
The Chinese government can easily collect data from the company’s servers. This government sometimes plays with words and claims not to engage in this type of activity. Indeed, they may be members of the Chinese Communist Party, which amounts to the same thing.
The Chinese government can use this aggregated data from TikTok to build a statistical portrait of the opinions of the American population on various topics. He is capable of manipulating this opinion. It can also enter smartphones and collect a wealth of data.
Vulnerable
Smartphones are so vulnerable to intrusion that many governments prohibit their officials from carrying their phones if they plan to be in the same room as Chinese diplomats.
The most comical thing in this story is the reaction of the Chinese government. He accuses the United States of using the pretext of national security to behave like a thug.
Very funny from a government that has passed some of the most paranoid national security laws in the world.
Nothing to see
Some will argue that the American government can also enter the servers of companies established in the United States. It’s true. But at least the U.S. government needs a judge’s permission to do so. The judge will only grant this permission on a case-by-case basis, if he has reasonable grounds to believe that the individuals concerned have committed criminal acts.
None of this exists in China, where the government can spy on Chinese and foreigners at will.
It is obvious that banning TikTok would greatly help the company’s competitors. But the Chinese government treats foreign companies established in China in the same way.