Is TikTok really dangerous? Why are governments banning it?

We have seen that governments such as the United States, Canada and the European Commission have banned the app on their official phones, and Chile is also considering banning it.

We know how addictive TikTok can be. There's concern about the addiction generated by this social network and the kind of content shared there, but hearing that governments are banning it is quite striking. For this reason, we've posed some questions to analyze and understand the issue in depth.

The first question is, what is the real danger or threat of using this social network to countries?

One of the things to consider when referring to TikTok as a threat is its context of use. For example, its controlled, home use would likely have no repercussions for national security. In other words, if the company were hypothetically collecting sensitive user information, it would have access to the preferences of individuals or citizens without exposing sensitive or national security information.

What do we mean by sensitive information or information that could put a state at risk? For example, the real-time location of a head of state, knowing if two high-profile individuals are together, being able to listen to or monitor private conversations of heads of state or public officials, among other actions that can endanger a state. Ref 1

When a private individual has access to classified information, a state's security is jeopardized. If it is proven that TikTok is using technological tools like AccEar or similar, it should clearly be classified as an application that puts state security at risk, as should any social network or application that uses these types of technologies to better understand its users.

As with other social media platforms like Facebook, there are suspicions that TikTok collects information about its users. It's also known that the Chinese government has a significant stake in the company, so it's reasonable to assume they have access to the app's data.

This causes Western governments, as well as companies in this part of the world that handle sensitive information, to have reservations regarding the proper management of that data. We must remember what happened with the United States elections during the presidential campaign of former President Trump, where it was suspected that social media was used to influence voters and that fake news was spread to alter public opinion.

So what makes TikTok considered dangerous for governments?

The danger of an application on mobile devices lies in the quantity and sensitivity of information it is capable of collecting. In other words, a video game might only capture information about how we play, how much time we spend in the application, what mobile device we have, its resolution, the type of internet connection we have, among other factors that don't allow it to be uniquely identified.

If the quality of the data they collect allows them to uniquely identify us, and additionally, those who have the application installed are heads of state, authorities, or military personnel, the sensitivity of that data is critical for a nation.

TikTok's data collection practices make it highly concerning for users handling sensitive data to access this type of application, as it's unclear where this information ends up. Although TikTok has stated on several occasions that the data of its Western users is stored in Western data centers, we cannot be certain of its status and confidentiality.

Let us also remember that there have already been bans on sales and technological negotiations between countries such as Russia, the United States, and China, where political issues and mistrust end up preventing private companies from approaching clients in a particular market.

For example: Google was unable to open offices in China, this was also due to the Chinese government's distrust of the company's proper data management. In 2010, Google withdrew almost all of its operations in China due to the government's blockade, and there were also many cyberattacks against Gmail users.

In this regard, should Chilean media outlets follow the BBC's lead and prohibit their employees from using the social network?

In Chile, or any nation where the security of its employees could be compromised by the use of an application, measures must be taken. These are the same measures taken when installing applications on a work computer, meaning that they must be downloaded from official sources and that video games or applications not exclusively for the work performed within the private or public institution are not permitted. In terms of security, many of these policies are covered by protocols such as those defined in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

Regardless of the social network used, whether from the West or Asia, great care must be taken with the data handled, the information published, and the device used to access social media. For example, we are currently discussing issues of distrust between governments and private companies, but it's also important to remember that many bots and criminals operate on social media trying to steal information, carry out social engineering attacks, and send links that lead to the download of malware, etc.

Therefore, similar examples should be followed, and employees and associates should be educated regarding the proper use of devices and social media.

As a side note: There are reports that the TikTok algorithm used in China differs from the one used in the West. It displays educational and informative content, which, in some ways, fosters more educated citizens with greater social awareness, etc.

On the contrary, the algorithm that runs in the West shows a lot of content that is not educational (to say the least), which causes a significant waste of time for people who use the tool and does not contribute to society.

Some argue that there is a kind of attack on Western culture aimed at degrading it. In fact, the US security agency calls TikTok a "Trojan horse" for China. Rob Joyce, head of the agency's cybersecurity arm, commented, warning not only about the data collection by the social network but also about the type of information that might be being introduced through TikTok's playback algorithm. Ref 2

The truth is that it is very interesting how tools and applications that were theoretically created with the aim of entertaining and selling, are now considered political weapons, information weapons and weapons in cyberspace.