TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Trade Committee on March 23, 2023, amid a series of calls from congressmen for the federal government to ban the Chinese-owned video social media app and reports that the Biden administration is pushing for the sale of the company. The federal government, along with many state and foreign governments and some corporations, have banned it tick tock on phones provided by work. This type of prohibition can be effective to protect data related to government work.
But a total ban on the app is another matter that raises some questions: What privacy risk does TikTok pose? What could the Chinese government do with the data collected by the app? Is the content recommendation algorithm dangerous? And is it even possible to ban an app? Data sucking As a cybersecurity researcher, I’ve found that every few years a new mobile app that becomes popular raises questions about security, privacy, and data access.
Apps collect data for a number of reasons. Sometimes the data is used to improve the app for users. However, most apps collect data that the companies use in part to fund their operations.
This revenue typically comes from targeting users with ads based on the data they collect. The questions this data usage raises are: Does the app need all this data? What is it doing with the data? And how does it protect the data from others? So what makes TikTok different from Pokemon-GO, Facebook, or even your phone itself? TikTok’s privacy policy, which few people read, is a good place to start. Overall, the company isn’t particularly transparent about its practices. The document is too long to list all the data collected here, which should be a warning.
Aside from the information you give them when creating an account – name, age, username, password, language, email, phone number, social media account information, and profile picture – there are some interesting points in TikTok’s privacy policy, that are worrying.
This information includes location data, data from your clipboard, contact information, website tracking, and any data you post and messages you send through the app.
The company claims that current versions of the app are not tracked GPS Information from US Users. There has been speculation that TikTok collects other information, but that’s hard to prove.
If most apps collect data, why is the US government worried about TikTok? First, they worry about the Chinese government accessing data from its 150 million users in the US. Also, there are concerns about the algorithms used by TikTok to display content.
Data in the hands of the Chinese government
If the data gets into the hands of the Chinese government, how could they use the data to their advantage? The government could share it with other companies in China to help them capitalize on it, which is no different than US companies sharing marketing data.
The Chinese government is known for playing the long game, and data is power. So if she collects data, it could be years before she learns how China is benefiting.
A potential threat is that the Chinese government could use the data to spy on people, especially people who have access to valuable information. The Justice Department is investigating TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, for using the app to monitor US journalists.
The Chinese government has a long history of hacking US government agencies and companies, and much of that hacking was facilitated by social engineering — the practice of using data about people to trick them into revealing more information.
The second issue that the US government has addressed is algorithm bias, or algorithm manipulation. TikTok and most social media apps have algorithms designed to learn a user’s interests and then attempt to tailor the content in a way that keeps the user using the app.
TikTok hasn’t shared its algorithm, so it’s not clear how the app selects a user’s content. The algorithm could be so biased that a population believes certain things.
There have been numerous claims that TiKTok’s algorithm is biased and can reinforce negative thoughts among younger users and be used to sway public opinion.
It could be that the algorithm’s manipulative behavior is unintentional, but there are concerns that the Chinese government has used or could use the algorithm to influence people.
Can the government ban an app?
If the federal government concludes that TikTok should be banned, is it even possible to ban it for all of its 150 million existing users? Such a ban would likely begin by blocking distribution of the app through Apple’s and Google’s app stores. This may put many users off the platform, but there are other ways to download and install apps for people who are determined to use them.
A more drastic method would be to force Apple and Google to swap their phones to prevent TikTok from running. While I’m not an attorney, I think these efforts would falter due to legal challenges that include First Amendment concerns. The bottom line is that an outright ban will be difficult to enforce.
It also raises the question of how effective a ban would be even if it were possible. By some estimates, the Chinese government has already collected personal information on at least 80 percent of the US population through various means. So a ban could limit the damage somewhat in the future, but the Chinese government has already collected a significant amount of data.
Like anyone with money, the Chinese government also has access to the vast personal data market, fueling calls for tougher privacy rules.
Are you at risk?
So, as an average user, should you be concerned? Again, it is unclear what data ByteDance collects and whether it can harm a person.
I believe that the greatest risks are for those in power, be it in politics or in a company. Your data and information could be used to gain access to other data or potentially compromise the organizations with which it is associated.
The aspect of TikTok that I find most concerning is the algorithm that decides which videos users watch and how that may affect vulnerable groups, especially young people.
Regardless of a ban, families should have conversions over TikTok and other social media platforms and how it can harm mental health.
These conversations should focus on how to tell if the app is leading you down an unhealthy path.
