TikTok has seen meteoric growth since launching internationally in 2017, becoming one of the most popular social media platforms globally. As of January 2023, TikTok had over 1.5 billion monthly active users, making it larger than Instagram [1]. The app has been downloaded over 3 billion times from app stores, with over 700 million of those downloads occurring just in 2022 [2].
With its growth, concerns have emerged around how TikTok could impact U.S. national security. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that must comply with the country’s laws and regulations. There are fears China could access TikTok’s data on U.S. citizens or attempt to censor or manipulate content. Some experts argue TikTok poses risks ranging from data privacy to the spread of misinformation that could undermine U.S. interests. Overall, TikTok’s growth has prompted debates around whether its popularity comes at the expense of national security.
Data Privacy Risks
TikTok has come under scrutiny for the vast amounts of user data it collects. According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), TikTok tracks user behaviors such as videos viewed, time spent on videos, liked videos, shared videos, and accounts followed. The app also collects device information, location data, and browsing history.
Of particular concern is that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance. This means user data could potentially be accessed and used by the Chinese government. As noted in TikTok’s own privacy policy, they may share user information with a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliate of their corporate group.
With over 100 million U.S. users, TikTok’s data collection practices pose privacy and national security risks. Users have limited visibility into how their data is used or shared. Many experts argue stronger oversight and regulation is needed to protect U.S. consumer data from exploitation by foreign governments.
Censorship
TikTok has been accused of censoring content that could anger China or expose human rights issues. According to Wikipedia, in 2020 TikTok was accused of censoring transgender users by removing or muting their videos. TikTok has also been criticized for censoring content related to protests in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims. By censoring certain topics, TikTok restricts free speech for its users in the US.
According to a report by The Guardian, leaked guidelines from TikTok in 2019 instructed moderators to censor videos that mentioned Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or the banned religious group Falun Gong. This type of censorship limits the topics and conversations that can take place on the platform.
TikTok’s censorship practices raise concerns that the app is being used to extend Chinese soft power and promote narratives favorable to the Chinese government. The censorship can constrain free speech for TikTok’s millions of users in the US.
Spread of Misinformation
TikTok’s platform has made it more difficult to detect misinformation compared to other social networks. The short 15-60 second video format can easily spread false or misleading claims without needed context or fact-checking.1 Unlike text-heavy posts on sites like Facebook and Twitter, TikTok’s video format relies more on visuals and sounds that can strongly influence viewers’ perceptions and beliefs.
There is particular concern around TikTok spreading election and voting misinformation. Ahead of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, TikTok was used to spread false claims about ballot paper quality, voting machine hacks, and other issues that could dissuade people from voting. 2 While TikTok does work to remove misinformation, the nature of the platform can allow misleading videos to quickly go viral before moderation occurs.
National Security Risks
There are concerns that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its Chinese ownership and the potential for espionage or surveillance. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is headquartered in China and is required to comply with Chinese laws which could compel them to share user data with the government.
According to Plumb (2023), TikTok is considered a “potential threat vector” by US defense officials due to concerns that the app could be used to surveil government employees or even blackmail them. There are worries that ByteDance could be forced by China to manipulate TikTok’s algorithms to promote pro-Chinese narratives or censor certain content.
Some experts argue that TikTok’s data collection poses more of a privacy threat than a national security risk at this time. However, the potential for Chinese influence or control over such a widely used app continues to raise alarms. There are ongoing calls for TikTok to be limited, regulated or banned in the US over these national security concerns.
Attempts to Mitigate Risks
In an effort to address data privacy and national security concerns, TikTok partnered with the American software company Oracle in 2020. As part of this partnership, Oracle began conducting security reviews of TikTok’s source code and algorithms to ensure no backdoors exist (TikTok CEO Says Oracle Has Begun Reviewing Its Source Code).
Additionally, TikTok migrated its US user data storage to Oracle’s cloud infrastructure located in the United States. As of June 2022, 100% of US TikTok user traffic is being routed through Oracle’s cloud servers (Delivering on our US data governance). While TikTok still maintains backup data centers in Singapore, the primary storage for American user data is now within the US.
This partnership with a trusted American company and storage of US data domestically were efforts to alleviate concerns over foreign access to sensitive user information and content moderation.
Oversight Challenges
TikTok faces major challenges when it comes to oversight and regulation of content. As a social media platform with over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok sees a massive amount of content uploaded every day.
This makes it very difficult to effectively monitor and regulate the content being posted. According to a Brookings article, TikTok would need to hire “over 10,000 overseers” to monitor just a fraction of the content being produced daily.
There are also enforcement issues when it comes to removing inappropriate or dangerous content from the platform. TikTok has been criticized for failing to adequately enforce its own community guidelines and remove content that violates its policies.
As reported by the New York Times, “TikTok has struggled to enforce [its] rules and remove dangerous or extremist content.” The enormous amount of content makes it difficult to consistently identify and remove policy-violating posts.
Overall, the massive scale and viral nature of TikTok poses major challenges for effective content moderation and enforcement. Critics argue this enables the spread of misinformation, dangerous challenges, and other concerning content.
Bans and Restrictions
Several countries including India and the United States have banned or considered banning TikTok due to security concerns. In June 2020, India banned TikTok along with 58 other Chinese apps amid rising tensions between the countries. The ban cut TikTok off from one of its biggest markets and resulted in an estimated loss of $6 billion for its parent company ByteDance (Source). While the ban was later reversed in India, TikTok’s global growth stalled as a result.
In the US, the Trump administration considered banning TikTok in 2020 over fears that user data could be obtained by the Chinese government. While a full ban never materialized, Trump did issue executive orders to block TikTok from US app stores and restrict its transactions with American firms (Source). The Biden administration has continued to explore options for limiting TikTok’s US operations.
Banning TikTok denies users access to a popular platform and constrains free expression. At the same time, governments argue such bans are necessary to address valid security risks. TikTok claims it stores US user data outside China and that the Chinese government does not have access to it (Source). However, concerns remain over the level of control its parent company ByteDance exerts and whether user data could be compromised.
Alternatives for Users
There are several alternative platforms that provide similar short-form video content as TikTok, giving users options if they want to move away from TikTok due to security concerns.
YouTube Shorts allows users to create and share 60 second vertical videos much like TikTok. While YouTube is owned by Google, it has long established itself as a mainstream video platform and provides more content moderation and transparency around data practices than TikTok currently does. Instagram Reels also offers TikTok-style short form video creation within the popular Instagram app. Instagram is owned by Meta and also has more transparency around data privacy protections than TikTok.
The key benefit of platforms like YouTube and Instagram is that creators can still find and engage with audiences interested in short form video content without relying on TikTok. For users concerned about TikTok’s security issues, established platforms like YouTube and Instagram provide alternatives to get short-form video content while avoiding many of TikTok’s unresolved risks.
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok poses several risks related to US national security. The main concerns are around data privacy, censorship, and the spread of misinformation that could threaten democracy. TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese company gives the Chinese government potential access to data on US users. There are also concerns about censorship of content critical of China. Additionally, the spread of misinformation on TikTok could influence public opinion and elections in the US.
To mitigate these risks, the US government needs to take action. More oversight and regulation of TikTok is needed to protect user data and limit censorship. Users should be informed of data collection policies and misinformation risks. There may also need to be bans or restrictions placed on TikTok usage for government employees, contractors, and military personnel in order to safeguard sensitive information. Users concerned about privacy and censorship may want to consider alternative social media platforms.
TikTok has exploded in popularity, but its risks need to be addressed. With the right policies and oversight, its national security risks can hopefully be contained.
