Despite Security Concerns, TikTok Still Plays Key Role in 2024 Race

While he was president, Trump issued an executive order attempting to ban TikTok and WeChat, describing the Chinese-originated apps as a threat to American national security given that data collection on the platforms “threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.”

However, in an interview with CNBC in March, Trump said that while he still believes TikTok to be a national security threat, he understands that, if it were banned, a lot of young kids would “go crazy without it.”

The former president also argued that a TikTok ban would ultimately benefit Facebook, which he described as “an enemy of the people.” After the January 6th Capitol riots, Meta suspended Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.

Citing similar concerns to Trump’s, President Biden approved a bill in April that requires parent company ByteDance to sell the app to remain in the U.S. market. TikTok said it has not and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and has been releasing a series of slick advertisements over the past year as the debate over its ownership has intensified, highlighting the benefit that TikTok provides to American citizens.

Upper Hand
Arthur Herman, senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative at Hudson Institute, told VOA that although Trump’s and Harris’ decisions to campaign on TikTok are rational given the popularity of the app, American politicking occurring on a Chinese platform gives the Chinese government an upper hand.

He said that TikTok, which is under the control of the Chinese government, will use its algorithm to influence the election results and “push one [candidate] who is probably going to be softer on China.”

TikTok denies allegations that it is trying to carry out covert influence operations and has sued the federal government over the law that is forcing it to cut ties with its parent company to keep operating in the United States.

In May, just a few weeks after the Brookings Institution released a study that said Russian state-media were boosting their use of the platform, the company said it was putting new regulations in place. Those regulations aimed to limit the reach of state media accounts. The company also pledged to release regular updates on what the platform is doing to fight back against covert influence.

What’s Next?
Biden’s withdrawal from the race has left questions regarding the future of TikTok in the United States. Experts argue that even though TikTok’s fate is ultimately left up to the courts, a future president could try to revoke the ban or change the U.S. position toward Chinese companies.

“No matter who wins the election in November, whether that’s Trump or Harris, they don’t have to take responsibility for the TikTok ban. Now they can say ‘that was Biden’s policy, not mine,’” Chin-Rothmann said.

Herman is optimistic that the next president will continue to take actions against TikTok and ByteDance, and expressed hope that the United States will develop an “American version of TikTok.”

“The most important next step is that we need an American TikTok. Let’s figure out a way in which to develop that and to turn America into high-tech leadership,” Herman said. He added that is where the real future lies.

Stella Hsu is a VOA News reporter. Katherine Michaelson contributed to this report. This article is published courtesy of the Voice of America (VOA).