Banning TikTok is Hypocritical

I hate Tik Tok.

It addicts young citizens to trivial and useless content. And it allows government officials from China, Russia, and elsewhere to influence our national sentiment. And it generates data that can be used for intelligence. Yes – Tik Tok is all of these things. And I wish it would go away.

Oh – and ditto everything I just said for all of social media.

If the US decides to ban Tik Tok, then it should ban every social media platform, because there are no meaningful differences. And the correct observation that the Chinese can demand data from Tik Tok is misleading because major nation-states can just take data from any target they desire. They do not have to ask.

By banning Tik Tok, we create the unfortunate illusion that our young people will be immune to social media manipulation (wrong) and that the Chinese government cannot access sensitive data about our citizens (also wrong). Let me explain what I mean.

Foreign Access to US Data – Anyone not in a cave for the past decade knows that foreign governments have already breached our personal lives. From OPM to every other nation state-originated breach, foreign governments such as China probably have a better idea of my activity and preferences than the US Government. They have your data. Period.

Influence Algorithms – Anyone who uses social media (uh – everyone) knows that every platform is built on impressive algorithms designed to sway the preferences of users. This is also true of search: How do you think Google makes its money? Yes – they have algorithms that sway your preference. The essence of all social media is algorithms. Tik Tok is no different.

Government Coercion – Yes, the Chinese government can tap on the shoulder of some administrator at Tik Tok and demand remote access to their data. But this is also true for any other company that they choose to infiltrate. Foreign hacks to sensitive data are hardly confined to domestic entities. This should be obvious. Nation-states can influence or coerce foreign entities. It's called spying.

Look – my biggest concern is that a Tik Tok ban will cause US citizens to believe that we’ve safeguarded their on-line activity from the prying eyes of a foreign nation. And most cybersecurity experts would agree that this is just not true. I mean, do we honestly think that banning silly Tik Tok videos will disrupt Chinese intelligence? I mean – really?

If the Chinese government wants information on a US citizen, then they hardly need data from some thirteen-year-old using Tik Tok. Any nation-state government would just use basic 101 phishing and APT tactics to grab whatever they need. The barn door is open, and it’s called your company’s network. We help TAG Cyber customers with this problem every day.

Sadly, my argument will not matter. Full bipartisan agreement seems to be in place, so a US Tik Tok ban is definitely a possibility. But keep your eyes open and do not be deluded: Banning Tik Tok will have little or no impact on the success of Chinese foreign intelligence.

I know my views are not mainstream – but I hope you will think this through and share what you conclude. I welcome your ideas.