The Story Behind A Wave Of Bans On TikTok
In a 2022 report, cybersecurity research group Internet 2.0 revealed TikTok’s excessive data collection regimen and the dangers it poses to users. In addition to typical user permissions requested by other social media apps, TikTok retrieves all installed applications on the phone, which could theoretically provide it with realistic “device maps” for every user. (4) Other highly intrusive functions performed include GPS location checking at least once per hour, asking for persistent access to the calendar and contacts, and collecting a plethora of device details such as clipboard content and all accounts on the device.4 Clipboard access is especially dangerous since clipboards are used by password managers to paste login details. These additional permissions are a worrying invasion of the user’s privacy and completely unnecessary for the app’s functionality. (4)
However, the most crucial difference between TikTok and other popular social media apps that should be highlighted is that TikTok is owned by a Chinese mother company, ByteDance. Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law passed in 2017 states that “All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of”.(3) Essentially, all Chinese companies, whether publicly or privately owned, are required by law to submit their data to the National Security Department whenever requested. This means that any data TikTok(and consequently ByteDance) has control over, even if stored in servers outside of China, is able to be accessed without restriction by Chinese government authorities. This poses a national security threat, as it serves as a form of data espionage used by China to possibly obtain sensitive government and corporate information.
In fact, there has already arisen definitive proof of American user data being accessed from within China. Recorded audio from numerous internal TikTok meetings leaked to Buzzfeed News in June 2022 revealed that “China-based employees of ByteDance have repeatedly accessed nonpublic data about US TikTok users” and that US TikTok employees have no control over how the data is accessed.1 An internal investigation by ByteDance later found that several employees improperly accessed user data of two journalists involved in the original leak, in an attempt to find connections to company employees suspected of the leaks.5 This is what led to the wave of bans on TikTok for government employees, issued both in and out of the US.
As long as these data collection practices persist, TikTok will continue to face increasing pressure from US lawmakers and the Biden Administration.
References
1. Baker-White, Emily. “Leaked Audio from 80 Internal TikTok Meetings Shows That US User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed from China.” BuzzFeed News, BuzzFeed News, 17 June 2022, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access
2. Ceci, L. “Most Downloaded Apps Worldwide 2022.” Statista, Statista, 9 Jan. 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1285960/top-downloaded-mobile-apps-worldwide/
3. Chinalawtranslate. “中华人民共和国国家情报法 (2018修正).” China Law Translate, 13 Sept. 2022, https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/en/national-intelligence-law-of-the-p-r-c-2017/
4. Perkins, Thomas. Edited by David Robinson et al., Internet 2.0, 2022, TikTok Analysis, https://internet2-0.com/whitepaper/its-their-word-against-their-source-code-tiktok-report/ . Accessed 27 Feb. 2023.
5. Shepardson, David. “Bytedance Finds Employees Obtained TikTok User Data of Two Journalists.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 23 Dec. 2022, https://www.reuters.com/technology/bytedance-finds-employees-obtained-tiktok-user-data-two-us-journalists-2022-12-22/
(Photo Credit: https://www.reuters.com/technology/bytedance-finds-employees-obtained-tiktok-user-data-two-us-journalists-2022-12-22/)
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