What You Should Know About The TikTok National Security Debate

With over one third of American mobile internet users and over a billion monthly users across 154 countries, video-sharing app TikTok has surpassed all other social media platforms. It gained widespread use during the pandemic, with everyone from middle school principals using TikTok challenges as a way to connect with their students to real estate agents using the platform to promote their listings. The app that allows users to view and share short videos of themselves lip-syncing, dancing, or telling jokes has also been responsible for the launch of influencers made famous for their posting of original content as varied as video games, book recommendations, and fishing tips; and careers like that of Katy Nichole, whose In Jesus Name (God of Possible) reached 80 million views before launching her career as a Christian singer.

What could possibly go wrong?

In addition to concerns that TikTok users are now spending more time watching videos of strangers and even less time connecting with friends and people they know – average usage statistics range from forty-five minutes to over an hour and a half a day – serious concerns about safety, privacy, and the potential risk to national security have surfaced.

Originally launched in China in 2016 under the name Douyin, Beijing-based TikTok owner ByteDance –worth over $400 billion – is owned in part by the Chinese government. ByteDance has been accused of working with the Chinese government to censor content the communist considers controversial, which includes human rights concerns in China, protests in Hong Kong, and internment camps. And there are concerns that the Chinese government could use the platform to launch influence or misinformation campaigns.

In addition to these social and censorship concerns, there is unease in the United States about national security. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump announced plans to ban TikTok and considered an executive order that would have forced ByteDance to divest its U.S. TikTok entity. While those plans did not materialize, President Joe Biden is considering an executive order that would require disclosure and possible restriction of American investment in Chinese technology companies.

These pending restrictions are the response to not only growing tensions between the U.S. and China, but also to concerns about data privacy. While TikTok is banned from government devices, concerns remain that the Chinese government could be collecting data on military member location, movements, and possibly more on troops’ personal devices.

In July testimony to the House Oversight Committee’s panel on national security, Brendan Carr, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner stated, “There’s a range of ways that that sensitive data going back to Beijing with their sophisticated [artificial intelligence] can ultimately be used to harm U.S. national security.” He added, “at its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of sensitive data from search and browsing history, keystroke patterns, location data, and biometrics including face prints and voice prints. All of the concerns with TikTok are heightened in the military context.”

In June, BuzzFeed reported on leaked audio from internal TikTok meetings that contain statements from nine TikTok staffers that Chinese employees had access to U.S. personal user data as recently as January 2022. These statements are counter to TikTok’s sworn testimony before a 2021 Senate hearing. That same day, TikTok announced they were migrating 100% of U.S. user traffic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure – a central facet of TikTok’s Project Texas initiative – with U.S. and Singapore data centers being used as backup but the intent to “fully pivot to Oracle cloud services located in the U.S.”

What does it mean for you?

Reuben Maher, Chief Operating Officer of cybersecurity and analytics firm Skybrid Solutions, advises users to understand that on TikTok, your data is not only a commodity, but also an asset of such great value that Chinese-owned ByteDance leadership is reluctant to relinquish it. “TikTok is free because it makes money through leveraging users’ personal data to serve targeted ads and generate in-app purchases. Although that is common amongst social media platforms, what is unique to TikTok is its symbiotic ties to China: its data continues to be stored in mainland Chinese servers and its management team still reports to a Chinese-based ByteDance executive. At a minimum, this user data can be used by third-party trackers TikTok shares your data with to monitor your activity, regardless of whether you are actively using the app. Alternatively, user data can be leveraged to surveil Americans, and potentially be used for more nefarious purposes if shared with the Chinese government – a very real concern to the U.S. government and intelligence community.”

The ultimate question then is why is American citizen data so valuable? Maher continues, “The TikTok data concerns fit into the broader national security conversation. If you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the Chinese have been accused of massive data hacks across multiple different government agencies, commercial entities, and industry leaders. This has resulted in their successful capture of an unparalleled amount of disparate U.S. citizenry data – essentially individual puzzle pieces. When combined with their world-class artificial intelligence expertise and Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative, China has the ability to fuse all those puzzle pieces into a disturbingly comprehensive digital mosaic representing an unprecedented and unfiltered view into the lives of millions of Americans.”

With ByteDance and Chinese-owned Pinduoduo both launching international e-commerce platform competitors to Amazon, the Chinese opportunity to gain citizen data will increase. The extent to which this poses an increased threat to U.S. national security remains to be seen, yet it is a threat of which all should be aware, cautious, and vigilant.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Follow me on LinkedIn or check out my other columns here.