TikTok Whiplash
#TIPS4FAMILIES | TikTok ban may be delayed, but the issue underpinning the ban has been obscured, and any action deferred for much longer, thanks to its power to make stars, money and sway elections.
The TikTok back-and-forth is a massive headache, so I'll make today's coverage simple and actionable for families.
Below, you'll find facts, figures, links, and details to help you discuss the platform with your kids and make the right decision for your family.
In case you don't read further: the app hasn't been saved—there's just a slight delay in what is likely inevitable. Both Biden and Trump used the platform for political gain (one refused to enforce the deadline, the other extended it on iffy legal grounds). But ultimately, our kids are the ones at continued risk (and please — do not let them head to RedNote).
Wait, Still Banned?
Legislation to force the sale of TikTok (and related ByteDance apps—some of which are alarming—more on those below) was notable for its bipartisan consensus. The law passed the U.S. Senate 79-18 and the House 360-58. After it was signed into law and then challenged, the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous 9-0 decision. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed summed up the situation well here.
While Biden refused to enforce the ban, and Trump extended the deadline to 75 days to work out a deal (still unlikely given the ban's circumstances)—nothing has really changed.
And due to the law's binding nature and the Supreme Court's unanimous decision, many companies aren't taking chances—the app remains unavailable for download or updates via app stores.
Free Speech Encroachment or Threat to National Security?
Actually, the situation represents a terrible exploitation of a serious problem for personal gain. TikTok has been a national security threat from the start, but thanks to its popularity, ability to sway youth sentiment, and power to create money and stars, the platform has been irresistible to those who could have tempered its influence years ago.
My overview of the situation from last year »
Free speech is the freedom to say what we want, not where we want to say it…
Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable to think our government would be forcing the sale/shutdown of a platform they have made ample use of, and that is concern #1. It’s been allowed to grow to a point where it now seems desperately unfair to remove.
But in terms of what our government keeps from us to protect our health and safety, remember it’s a long list from French cheese and Absinthe, to Cuban cigars, and even Kinder Egg chocolates. We don’t allow books printed before 1985 (lead), Sassafras oil, Haggis. There’s also a host of hardware and software that were banned well before ByteDance.
Failure to Protect
Last year, I also wrote about the additional Byte Dance-owned apps that have sprouted up while we focused on TikTok — including AI homework helper Gauth.
Read more here»
The issue is the data accessible to the Chinese government. You don't even need to look beyond their Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy to see they make this clear. China is also the world's leading broker of facial recognition technology. And where to secure the best dataset of diverse faces? You guessed it.
Unsettling Truth About China’s Aims
Beyond compelling media coverage, some of the most valuable information about TikTok and China's intentions comes from universities and declassified government reports. A few here that may be helpful:
Media
Some of the best articles I’ve tucked way were written a couple of years ago which illustrates how long the problem has festered.
TikTok Has Started Collecting Your ‘Faceprints’ and ‘Voiceprints.’ Here’s What It Could Do With Them, Time, June 14, 2021
TikTok agrees legal payout over facial recognition, BBC, February 26, 2021
How China uses facial recognition to control human behavior, August 11, 2020
Universities
TikTok captures your face, University of Melbourne
Government Research, Intelligence & Related
Just for Fun: How China Uses TikTok to Further Initiatives, Special Operations News (SOF), July 2023
Declassified reports are some of the best sources of information, obviously:
Regarding “The globalization of China’s surveillance and coercion capabilities through Identity Exploitationand Control (IEC) to target individuals.” — “The ability to collect, process, and exploit comprehensive data on individuals and groups has accelerated in recent years at unprecedented levels of speed, scale, and precision. Thus, these age old techniques have transformed into a major strategic tool for gaining advantage across all phases of competition and conflict. Medical, health, financial, behaviors, affiliations, genetic profiles, social interactions, location history are some of the data available. Strategically important individuals and groups across the globe—in government, military, industry, and media—can be targeted. Identity exposes vulnerabilities that adversaries can exploit to damage U.S. interests by coercing, bribing, threatening, distracting or tricking them, stealing their authority or faking their apparent actions to destroy reputations.” - New Dimensions of Conflict, April 2023, Department of Defense, Defense Science Board
We are Being Punked
Finally, consider this: TikTok is owned by a Beijing-based parent company. The Chinese government has strict requirements regarding their involvement in domestic businesses. So surely, we all saw how absurd it was for TikTok to lobby the Supreme Court based on the First Amendment?
In fact, the CEO recorded a video talking about fighting for freedom and democracy and how it should not be taken away. Really? We need to remind our kids immediately of how little the Chinese government follow these principles at home. Frankly, we're all being played.