TikTok – a source for quick entertainment, lifestyle tips, latest happenings, travel guides, and anything that can be imagined for a Google search, but in short clips. With a strong user base, TikTok has over 150 million active users in America alone. Whether it’s a multinational, a publishing house, or a high school kid trying stand-up comedy, TikTok has increasingly become the platform to attract and engage with the next generation of digital users. In fact, A recent Pew Research Center study finds that almost 25 percent of young users use TikTok as their sole source of news. Sounds like the future of the internet, right? Think twice.

Privacy concerns surrounding the app have raised a bill to ban TikTok in the US. In a recent briefing, experts analyze the impact of the RESTRICT Act and TikTok. Whether the ban violates freedom of speech or plays on an anti-China narrative, Senator Mark Warner, speaker John Yang, and Kate Ruane share their insights.

Speakers

(L-R) Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-author of the RESTRICT bill; John Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC; Kate Ruane, PEN America’s Director of US Free Expression Programs (EMS)
  • Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-author of the RESTRICT bill
  • John Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC
  • Kate Ruane, PEN America’s Director of US Free Expression Programs

TikTok is a popular social media app with over a billion users worldwide and 150 million in the US. However, there are concerns about data privacy and geopolitical tensions with China, where ByteDance is based. Some think that the national security concerns may be a cover for U.S. resentment towards China’s unfair business practices leading to restricted foreign competition.

The RESTRICT Act currently focuses on  China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela, with the potential to expand towards other countries. The bill is popularly being regarded to as the ‘TikTok ban’. However, other companies, like Huawei or Kaspersky, may be impacted as well. The bill could have unintended consequences for Asian Americans as they may become targets of anti-Chinese sentiment in the US.

Pros

  • Protecting national security by preventing the Chinese government from accessing US user data
  • Reducing the risk of foreign interference in US elections
  • Encouraging the development of alternative social media platforms that prioritize data privacy and security

Cons

  • Limiting freedom of speech and expression for TikTok users and creators
  • Hurting the careers of influencers who rely on TikTok for income
  • Potentially fueling anti-Chinese sentiment in the US, which could lead to discrimination against Asian Americans

Opponents of the bill highlight that wider data concerns over social media are ignored. Freedom of speech is also a cause for concern with the bill. Currently the video-sharing app isn’t available in China and citizens use Douyin, another ByteDance platform.

The briefing highlights concerns about the potential national security risks associated with TikTok, particularly concerning data privacy practices.

Senator Warner argues that TikTok poses a national security threat and that the government should have the authority to restrict transactions based on national security concerns. However, he also cautions that this authority could be abused if not properly bound.

The RESTRICT Act proposes solutions to address these concerns. The bill would require companies like TikTok to disclose their data privacy practices giving the government more authority to regulate these practices.

But is the RESTRICT Act enough to address these issues. ByteDance already developed an app called Lemon8, a TikTok-like alternative to Instagram. With a similar framework to TikTok, Lemon8 also has the capability of gathering user data and sending it to ByteDance without the government being able to do much. Within the United States alone, independent developers can create an alternative social networking platform which could become a data behemoth. Think BeReal as an example. Kate Ruan of PEN America agrees with the argument and believes that another platform can and will pop-up raising the same concerns. Ruan highlights how the RESTRICT Act is “broad” and “vaguely worded.”

In conclusion, the RESTRICT Act is a bill that will significantly impact TikTok and American citizens. On the one hand, some argue that TikTok poses a national security threat due to its data privacy practices and that banning the app could help mitigate this risk. On the other hand, others argue that banning TikTok would be a drastic measure that could have negative implications for free expression. It’s worth noting that these are just some potential arguments for each side, and there may be other factors to consider as well.