TikTok: America’s National Security Threat

Countries prioritize national security to deter enemies that impact a nation and its citizens. Preventing threats to national security allows for the defense of the interests of citizens living their lives as people should. A government needs to recognize the specific threats facing the country in the present and the future; if unprepared, however, the consequences will be existential. The government’s role in society is to respond to threats that an individual couldn’t adequately deter; therefore, such a task as to defend citizens is existential to the role of a government. Thus, efficient governments fulfill one of their main responsibilities by defending the national security of the nation.

The threats to national security in America in recent years have been enlarged due to the threat of a powerful Chinese military complex. China’s modern military complex ranges from upgraded air/land nuclear capabilities, space programs, armed weaponry, etc; such developments are normal for a country’s defense programs, however, the hostile and threatening nature of the Chinese military is a concern to the world. According to a recent Department of Defense report, there have been around 300 hostile coercive, and risky air intercepts between China and other countries in the Pacific region in the past two years.

A further threat from the Chinese government includes recent legislation requiring China-based companies at a moment’s notice to give data to the Chinese government; with over 8,000 U.S. businesses based in China, the national security implications at such a tense moment are concerning. One of those at-risk companies holding data of large amounts of the populace in the United States is ByteDance, the company behind the infamous app, TikTok. TikTok like other social media outlets, uses algorithms factoring user’s data and preferences to make people’s experience on the apps more efficient. Thus, the collection of such data on TikTok increases the risk of the data of millions of Americans falling into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, especially when around two-thirds of American teenagers have a TikTok account.

Data collected on TikTok according to the Congressional Research Service include pictures, videos, recordings, personal information, etc.; thus the questions that the American public needs to ask are: should America ban an app that has the ability to access the private information of millions to a hostile power like China? Should social media companies even have the ability to collect people’s data in such an invasive manner? Are foreign-based companies like ByteDance fully transparent with the American government, especially with the economic considerations that such companies factor in?

Whether there is evidence that the Chinese have previously accessed data on Americans through TikTok or not is irrelevant since there exists the ability to retrieve that information. ByteDance in response to these concerns, has claimed the data that TikTok retrieves are kept in data centers in the United States and therefore, not subject to the scrutiny of the Chinese law authorities. However, a report from Buzzfeed in 2021 found over 80 recordings of TikTok employees directly contradicting the company that the data is not accessible to employees in China. The dishonest nature of ByteDance has the potential to dangerously threaten the data security of Americans ending up in the wrong hands.

Competing with a country like China is not the dilemma that threatens America; the issue is the implications of what the Chinese government will do with such information. In recent years, there have been 32 companies that have been cyberattacked by China, while hundreds of Americans’ private information was retrieved as a result. China’s focus on getting information on Americans isn’t a secret; it’s a goal. If America cares about stopping foreign interference, enforcing regulations and further guardrails are vital for the national security of Americans.

Congress, while protecting free speech concerns raised concerning this controversy, must reign in ByteDance and any companies where such vulnerabilities in national security are present, immediately!

Furthermore, the threat of TikTok isn’t only due to the data that is accessible to the CCP; in addition, the threat of TikTok being under Chinese law which also allows modifications to social media algorithms is a further immense threat to the public square. This is especially true in light of the impending crisis of the world’s stockpile of basic computer chips used in every electronic item due to China’s threatening attitude towards Taiwan.

America’s interests in Taiwan are not territorial; they are instead about the influence that China could have on any piece of technology in the event of an invasion occurring in Taiwan as Taiwan currently produces 60% of semiconductors in the world. Thus, a portable spyware app like TikTok which is subject to the Chinese authorities even to the extent of algorithms employed, has the potential for CCP disinformation to be waged on the American public. Free speech and the free market must be allowed to prosper but with the proper guardrails protecting the national security of the public.

Defending the national security of a nation is not a simple task to accomplish, but it is a necessary one. As a government can do things that an individual alone couldn’t do, the defense against hostile forces is imperative for present and future preparations to defend a country’s national interests. The enlarging threat of China against the West is a reality where the response must be to prioritize national security interests. Hostility and threats to the world’s stockpile of semiconductors are enough of a concern that the United States needs to disallow the Chinese government from influencing the American public through apps like TikTok while also protecting the private information of citizens ending up in the hands of such hostile forces. Thus, action must be taken to counter the impending Chinese threat to American values and her security.