Preventing China from weaponizing TikTok against the United States
Many Americans may not be familiar with ByteDance, but they are certainly familiar with its product: TikTok. The technology company is responsible for curating the app’s video feeds for 170 million American users.
However, ByteDance is not your typical company. It is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, both legally and structurally.
In 2017, China’s totalitarian regime enacted a national security law giving them authority over any Chinese corporation, including ByteDance.
Additionally, the Chinese government holds a “golden share” of ByteDance’s stock, allowing a former government official on the board to override all other members. Beijing’s control over the company is total.
Even though TikTok is headquartered in the US, the app’s algorithm is operated by ByteDance engineers in China.
Through artificial intelligence, ByteDance can profile TikTok users’ preferences, beliefs, behavior, and values, gaining a deep understanding of users.
Should Chinese officials instruct ByteDance to use the app against its users, the company has the power to comply without choice.
This may sound farfetched, but recent reports show ByteDance spying on American journalists, influencing American elections, promoting terrorist propaganda, skewing political opinion, and accessing personal information of Americans through TikTok ownership.
We would not allow the Chinese Communist Party to own and control prominent American media outlets, so why tolerate their ownership of TikTok where a significant portion of young American adults get their news?
This is a situation that should not be accepted.
Concerns about TikTok’s ties to China were raised on Capitol Hill in 2019, prompting the introduction of a bill to ban the app by Reps. Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Despite TikTok’s lobbying efforts, opposition to its China ties in Congress has grown, culminating in legislation passing in the House requiring TikTok and ByteDance to separate or face a ban.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where efforts are being made to pass it into law.
There may be concerns among Americans about the bill, but it is important to clarify that the issue is not how Americans are using TikTok, but how ByteDance is using the app on behalf of Beijing.
The bill aims to prevent the influence of a foreign entity on American citizens, without restricting their use of similar apps.
Allowing ByteDance to retain ownership of TikTok poses a serious threat to American independence and personal freedom.
It is crucial that every American lawmaker supports the separation of TikTok from Beijing to protect the nation and its citizens.
Marco Rubio represents Florida in the US Senate.
