TikTok: A Security Threat?
May 19, 2021
Some folks think the TikTok app is a security threat. On the other hand, there are some Silicon Valley poobahs who dismiss the idea that short videos viewed by millions is anything other than a harmless way to kill 30 seconds. These folks may perceive YouTube for Kids’s automatic playing of videos as harmless too. What’s the big deal? These are mostly kids.
“TikTok Banned from US Government Devices Due to Bill Deeming it ‘an Immediate Security Threat’” seems to suggest that some in Washington, DC, are concerned about the Chinese TikTok thing. The write up states:
the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has just unanimously passed a bill that would officially ban US federal workers from being able to download the now very popular app onto certain US government devices.
The intent of the bill is to keep the app off US government mobile devices. The reason? TikTok is a data harvester aligned with the Chinese government. lf TikTok does capture data and generate metadata about its users, new services introduced by ByteDance could be used to alter opinions and behavior of the services users? If TikTok does not, better safe than sorry maybe?
The new bill may not have the desired effect. The users of the service can access videos on another mobile, and the majority of the TikTok user base do not work in the US government. Meaningful regulation? On the surface, no.
Stephen E Arnold, May 19, 2021
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