The US government is close to finalizing a deal with the Chinese company ByteDance to transfer control of TikTok to American ownership. The agreement, which was passed by Congress last year, aims to address concerns over user data privacy and national security.
However, some cybersecurity experts have expressed concerns that the deal could lead to surveillance and influence from the US government itself. David Kennedy, a cybersecurity expert, warns that “giving the government more power to surveil its own people or to do large data collections is not a good thing.”
Under the new arrangement, at least 80% of TikTok’s US operations will be owned by a consortium of investors led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz. The data of 170 million US users will be kept on Oracle servers in Texas.
While this move is seen as a victory for user privacy rights and national security, some experts worry that China could still retain influence over TikTok’s algorithm, which was the main point of contention between the two countries. Beijing has signaled its importance in updating export control rules to cover sensitive technologies including TikTok’s personalized recommendation engine.
The deal also raises concerns about the US government’s power over the platform. Many leaders of the new consortium have close ties to President Trump, and some experts worry that this could lead to undue influence on what content is elevated or buried on the platform. The White House has announced plans to launch its own TikTok account, which has sparked further concern.
Overall, while the deal may address some concerns over China’s surveillance of US users, it also raises new questions about the balance between user privacy and government power.
Source: https://time.com/7319281/tiktok-trump-surveillance-china