Lhe vote on a bill paving the way for the ban on TikTok in the United States marks a new stage in an American psychodrama, before being Western, in which TikTok is portrayed as the Trojan horse of a Party omnipotent Chinese communist.
With China having become the United States’ main rival, it is not surprising that Washington is concerned about the popularity of a Chinese application – TikTok has 170 million users across the Atlantic, or half of the country. In a lexical field reminiscent of the Cold War, the American political world denounces pell-mell attempts to manipulate information, the theft of personal data and the risks of espionage; so many dangers for national security that only a change of ownership seems able to prevent.
In a country obsessed with its economic, technological and military competition with China, the argument is effective, especially since ByteDance is open to criticism. Despite its denials, TikTok continues to transfer certain American data to China. More seriously, the company was accused of monitoring journalists. Finally, in recent months, TikTok has embarked on fierce lobbying with Congress, combining shadow advisors and public pressure campaigns on parliamentarians.
For its detractors, these actions constitute proof of the danger represented by TikTok. However, there is no formal proof of manipulation of information or massive capture of individual data. ByteDance has also tried to offer alternatives to the sale of its social network with the “Texas” project, aimed at protecting user data in the United States. Nothing helps: in the eyes of decision-makers, sin is original. For Washington, as long as TikTok remains under the Chinese flag, the danger will remain.
Does the question arise in the same terms for European countries? Are TikTok and ByteDance a threat to national security? Just like in the United States, the application is accused of transferring user data to China, practicing tax evasion or lying to financial regulators. However, these accusations are the same as those made against other digital heavyweights, all Americans.
Security approach
Therefore, the argument of an attack on national security or European digital sovereignty seems shaky. It even seems ironic to worry about the Chinese regime’s ability to collect information through TikTok at a time when the third iteration of the agreements between the European Union and the United States on individual data is still contested before the justice. In addition, one day after the vote on TikTok in the House of Representatives, the US Senate renewed the authorization allowing the US executive to spy on any individual or company without prior supervision by the judicial authority.
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