Tiktok

One of the US most highly consumed social media platforms, Tiktok, has become a prominent security risk for the nation. Currently owned by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company, Tiktok usage has sparked concerns over US citizens’ data being leaked to China. This issue is part of a larger conversation between the US and China over the security surrounding AI and its rapid advancement. 

Back in February, Biden took action and signed an executive order to prevent foreign entities from gaining access to US citizens’ personal data. He expressed concerns that this data could be exploited for commercial and military advantage. 

In April, Biden targeted China directly with new legislation which declared that ByteDance had 9 months to sell Tiktok or the US would ban the app within the country. The earliest this ban could begin would be January 2025, and with the 90 day extension at the discretion of the President it would be April. Furthermore, ByteDance is fighting back and threatening legal action which will only drag out this process. 

This week, the US and China will continue their discussions over AI development and security in Geneva. Although Biden has taken legal action against China for their breaches of US data, none of these actions have resulted in any immediate changes and the problems persist. At this meeting, the US plans to discuss the ways in which China has been using AI to undermine national security not only in the US but its allies as well. It is unclear whether this conversation will amount to any action. 

AI has proven to be a powerful force that nations are attempting to harness and use for their own purposes. The AI race is looking not so different from the race for nuclear weapons, however now the battle has become technical.

I am curious to see whether US threats will be enough to push ByteDance to sell, given their already poignant backlash. After hearing ByteDance’s legal response, it will be interesting to see how the US government reacts. How long will the litigation take? Some experts have lost their optimism and see this as being pushed back and back until a compromise is reached. So the question remains, Is the US going to take direct action to ban Tiktok and when?