TikTok: Facing Annihilation from the West – Tech’s Ideological War

“Black” bodes well for the future of TikTok in the West, after the existential crisis it has faced in the American market. The risk of the popular app being banned in the US next year following legislation passed by Congress is more real than ever, with the only way out being to sell it off from Beijing’s control.

Unplugging TikTok would deal another major blow to China’s tech ambitions after the Huawei case, but it would also deepen the divide between the digital worlds centered around rival economic superpowers.

In essence, legislation passed by Congress on Tuesday (5/24) could force Beijing-based ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a national ban. However, the company is already preparing its response by challenging the law in the courts of USA.

Beijing has also said it strongly opposes a forced sale of TikTok and has revised its export control rules to block a sale on national security grounds. The blow otherwise would be severe for the company, as it is expected to be initially locked out of its largest market of 170 million users, counting those who use the app in the US.

“A forced sale of TikTok in the US is tantamount to a downgrading of the app,” said Alex Capri, a researcher at the Hinrich Foundation and a lecturer at the National University, on the other hand. of the Singapore Business School, speaking to CNN.

He sounded the alarm about a “domino” of bans in other liberal democracies of the West. “If TikTok is forced to cease operations in the US, ByteDance’s prospects in other predominantly liberal democracies will come under further scrutiny,” it said.

“If the Chinese government doesn’t allow ByteDance to opt out of TikTok’s algorithm, it could block the sale permanently. Alternatively, it may allow TikTok to be sold without the profitable algorithm that underpins its popularity.”

“Banning TikTok would be the end of ByteDance’s global expansion, as it would be a sign that the Chinese state values ​​algorithm security more than ByteDance’s economic well-being and global expansion,” Richard Windsor said on the other hand. , technology industry analyst and founder of Radio Free Mobile, a US-based research firm.

Ideological struggle

The case of Huawei a few years ago, opened the Aeolus “asko”, for the ideological struggle in the technology sector which is becoming more intense year by year, culminating in the issue that has arisen in this period of time with the use of TikTok and how it can affect a country’s national security.

The TikTok ban is also likely to accelerate a shift that is dividing the world’s tech landscape into two blocs, one centered on the US and the other embracing technology from China.

“The move against TikTok in the US is another step towards not only a bifurcated platform economy between Chinese apps and Western apps, but also, more broadly, the splitting of the entire global tech landscape,” he said.

“This includes everything from who owns and operates data centers, to space-based Internet satellites and undersea cables.”

Another possible ban in the US will trigger even greater efforts to spread China’s digital footprint in Southeast Asia and other major growth markets worldwide.

The dangers

US officials and lawmakers have long raised concerns about TikTok’s potential national security risks, including that it could share data with the Chinese government or manipulate content displayed on the platform. But TikTok has previously denied all such claims.

“The new divestment bill is the result of a concerted lobbying effort by Silicon Valley venture capitalists linked to US technology companies that stand to benefit from the ‘Chinese threat’ narrative,” said Paul Triolo, a Chinese technology and trade official. policy officer at Albright Stonebridge Group. In general, Chinese companies and apps operating in the U.S. face increasing challenges, he said.

Instead, Biden administration officials have “established” in the Commerce Department a new division to enforce the provisions of a (Trump-era) rule to protect US information technology supply chains, which could be used to push for further restrictions and other applications, especially from China.

“It seems unlikely that Congress will single out another Chinese company like TikTok for a specific bill, but Commerce’s IT supply chain rule could be used in the future to limit the ability of Chinese companies and apps to access parts of US market,” Triolo said.