CONGRESS VS. TIKTOK

Could it actually be banned?

TIKTOK’S CEO, Shou Zi Chew, received a rough handling from a Congress committee recently. The nub of the matter was whether or not TikTok was a security threat, and if so, should it be banned. The trouble is that TikTok collects data, as does pretty much every company with an internet presence. However, TikTok is aggressive about it, and that data is available to the Chinese government. It doesn’t really have a choice about this; it is part of Chinese law. The company has confirmed that personal data collected is available to staff in China, and that it has the data to spy on journalists as it tries to identify the source of leaks about the company’s operations.

Can a ban work? Well, there are problems. There’s the First Amendment, for a start, as well as other legal hurdles. Bills have been launched that would allow a presidential ban, one in the Senate, and one in the House of Representatives. It’ll take co-operation and several months for either to succeed. Even if passed, it will require a lengthy review process. Factor in legal challenges, and you can add many more months. If Congress is serious about restricting TikTok then it is going to need to bring a bigger stick to this fight.

US companies have similar data stores on US citizens, and are not adverse to handing details over within legal parameters. Restricting access to a platform used by millions to spread their opinions isn’t a good look. Congress is right about one thing, though: data given to TikTok is supplied to Chinese security forces. TikTok has earned bans in some countries, notably India, and been widely banned on government devices across the world, and in China for the same reasons. Free speech may defend it here, but has no chance in its homeland.