The US House of Representatives voted 352- 65 on March 13 to demand TikTok’s family organization, China- based ByteDance, to promote the app or face a global ban on TikTok.
On March 8, President Joe Biden declared that he would sign the bill if it was to pass his office. In the US as of January 2024, the well-known game social media app had 149 million people. Numerous of them contacted Congress to voice their opposition to a restrictions.
The president’s death in the Senate is questionable. Additionally, it’s not clear whether any proposed policy will be overturned by a court.
On May 17, 2023, Montana Gov. The initial total ban by a US state authorities was passed by Governor Gianforte, who signed regulations banning TikTok in the state. The state would impose sanctions of$ 10, 000 per day on any TikTok-based app store and on the app’s creator if it is licensed there. People would not be penalized as individuals. A provincial judge halted the law’s implementation until it was proven that it had overstepped its bounds and had broken the First Amendment.
The federal government, along with many condition and international institutions and some companies, has now banned TikTok on function- provided devices. Data that is related to state work can be effectively protected by this kind of restrictions.
A complete federal restrictions on the software is another issue, which raises a number of issues: What private chance does TikTok pose? What might the Chinese authorities do with the information the game collected? Is the algorithms used to recommend information harmful? Is it acceptable for the government to impose a complete ban on the software? Is it even possible to ban apps, exactly?
Vacuuming up information
As a security scientist I’ve noted that, every several years, a previously popular mobile apps raises issues of protection, privacy and data access. Apps collect information for many reasons. The data is occasionally used to enhance the user experience of the game. However, most software collect information that the companies use in piece to finance their operations. This profit usually comes from advertising to users based on the data they gather.
Does the game need all of these data, the question this use of data raises is. What is done with the statistics by it? And how does it safeguard the information from another?
What distinguishes TikTok from popular apps like Pokemon GO, Facebook, or even your mobile itself? TikTok’s protection policy, which some folks read, is a good place to start. Ultimately, the company is not especially clear about its practices. The list of all the different types of data that the file gathers is too much, which should serve as a warning.
There are a few items of interest in TikTok’s privacy legislation besides the information you give them when you create an account – name, age, username, password, speech, email, phone number, social media account details and account picture – that are concerning.
This information includes all the data you post and send via the app, as well as location data, clipboard data, contact information, website tracking, and other information. The app’s creator claims that current versions do n’t collect GPS data from US users.
If most apps collect data, why are governments worried about TikTok? First, they worry about the Chinese government accessing data from TikTok’s 150 million users in the US. The algorithms used by TikTok to display content are also a source of concern.
Data in the Chinese government’s hands
How could the Chinese government use the data to its advantage if it does end up in its possession? Similar to US companies sharing marketing data, the government could share data with other Chinese companies to help them make money. Since the Chinese government is known for playing the long game and recognizing that data represents power, it may take years to understand how that benefits China if it is collecting data.
The Chinese government might be able to spy on people using the data, especially those who have access to important information. The Justice Department is investigating TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, for using the app to monitor US journalists. The Chinese government has a long history of hacking US government organizations and businesses, and much of that hacking has been facilitated by social engineering, which is the art of deceiving people into giving them access to more information.
The US government has raised algorithm bias or algorithm manipulation as a second problem. Most social media apps, including TikTok, use algorithms that are based on user interests to learn what they want to read before making adjustments to the content so the user stays there. TikTok has not shared its algorithm, so it’s not clear how the app chooses a user’s content.
The algorithm might be biased in a way that leads people to believe certain things. TiKTok’s algorithm is alleged to be biased, have a negative impact on younger users, and have an impact on public opinion. Unintentional manipulation may be the cause of the algorithm’s manipulative behavior, but it’s possible that the Chinese government has been using or could be using it to influence people.
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Can an app be banned by the government?
The pending Montana law intends to compel businesses to impose its ban through fines. It’s not clear if companies will comply, and it’s unlikely that this would deter users from finding workarounds.
Is it even possible to outlaw TikTok’s use by all of its 149 million current US users if the federal government decides it should be banned? Any such restriction would likely begin with a ban on the app’s ability to be downloaded from the Apple and Google App Stores. Although this might prevent many users from using the platform, there are still other ways to download and install apps for those who are eager to use them.
A more drastic approach would be to compel Apple and Google to switch their phones in order to stop TikTok from running. While I’m not a lawyer, I think this effort would fail due to legal challenges, which include First Amendment concerns. The bottom line is that enforcing an absolute ban will be difficult.
Additionally, there are questions about how effective a ban would be even if it were feasible. According to some estimates, the Chinese government has already collected personal data from at least 80 % of the population in the US through a variety of methods. Therefore, a ban might help to some extent with the future damage, but the Chinese government has already collected a lot of data. The Chinese government and anyone else with money also have access to the large market for personal data, which is a cause for stronger data privacy laws.
Are you at risk?
So as an average user, should you worry? Again, it is unclear what data ByteDance is collecting and if it can harm an individual. People in power, whether it be political power or internal control, pose the most significant risks, in my opinion. Their data and information could be used to access additional data or to potentially sabotage the organizations with which they are associated.
The algorithm that determines what videos users see and how it can affect vulnerable groups, especially young people, is what I find most concerning about TikTok. Families should talk about TikTok and other social media platforms and how they can affect mental health, unaffected by a ban. These discussions should concentrate on determining whether the app is making you feel bad.
At Iowa State University, Doug Jacobson teaches electrical and computer engineering.
This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.