TikTok and the battle for an app that is still underestimated by many

When I was recently chatting with my teenage daughter about her favorite short video app, the conversation came quite unexpectedly. She revealed to me that she had deliberately limited her TikTok consumption. For reasons.

Your daily time budget is not disclosed at this time. Privacy! Incidentally, I was surprised that she knows a lot about the dark side of the app.

Not as bad as you might think?

How addictive TikTok is

This is due to the sophisticated recommendation algorithm, which – unlike other platforms – also throws in surprising new content that hits the right note. As a user you are hooked and always looking for the dopamine kick.

Imaginative, original and cheeky short videos meet the needs of most smartphone users: you lose yourself in a steady stream of entertainment and distraction. And without any effort.

Or are you «Creator»?

Does not matter! If you want to know in detail how the legendary TikTok algorithm works, I have to disappoint you. This is a trade secret. Everything we know thanks to leaked information sounds pretty trite.

Why is the app a privacy nightmare?

Counter question: How much time do you have? 😅

Short answer: the real problem with TikTok is the amount of personal data the app collects. The default settings, which most users don’t change, give her far more privileges than necessary. In addition, it is difficult to check exactly what happens to the collected data and who has access to it.

Renowned American IT security expert Bruce Schneier characterized TikTok and Chinese developer company, AI company ByteDance:

And so the main problem…

What TikTok has to do with Xi Jinping

Tik Tok = China. More precisely: regime in Beijing.

That can be publicly denied, as the TikTok boss just did in Washington DC. But the fact remains that Chinese companies cannot escape the grip of the Chinese state. And of course, those in power in China have long recognized the value of the app, which is so popular in the West, and are not giving up.

Let’s imagine the following scenario: there is no general TikTok ban in the West, the app remains under China’s control or sphere of influence, and continues to grow massively in user numbers. But then the conflict between the democratic West and the enemies of democracy China and Russia intensified.

TikTok can be used to spread political messages and manipulate public opinion. The app influences users’ perceptions and can distort their view of political issues and events. And with that she reaches an interesting target group: young people who are curious and impressionable.

As the impending demise of Facebook and Co. continues, TikTok may soon be the world’s most powerful tool for disinformation and propaganda.

In terms of censorship

Mao Ning, Chinese diplomat and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, recently took pleasure in taking on the Western nemesis: “How insecure can a world’s largest superpower like the US be to be so afraid of the favored app of young people?”

Counter question: Why does Beijing only allow a strictly censored version of the TikTok app in its own country?

Spoiler: because she fears freedom of speech and knows about the risks and side effects of algorithm-driven social media platforms.

And as we saw above, the Beijing regime sees the TikTok app as a valuable tool to destabilize Western societies.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Vladimir Putin is the ruthless criminal who wants to smash democratic structures with a sledgehammer. But much more dangerous is the intelligent and patient Xi Jinping.

What are the social benefits of TikTok?

There are people who make a lot of money, or even a hell of a lot of money, from short viral videos. But the negative consequences far outweigh the negative ones.

Let’s summarize:

The conclusion: Better an end with horror…

No one said “going down” was easy. That is not the case with any medicine. 😉

What would a ban actually do?

That’s questionable.

A ban like the one being threatened in the US may seem unprecedented, but there is an important precedent.

In June 2020, TikTok had more than 200 million users in India (it was the largest market outside of China), but then the Indian government banned more than 200 Chinese apps, citing privacy and national sovereignty.

The decision came two weeks after a serious incident on the northern border with China in which at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

The TikTok ban enraged many users. But the initial protests died down and except for a few influencers who had made a lot of money with TikTok, everyone got over it. “We haven’t suffered,” said Anand Lunia, the founder of an Indian venture capital firm and a well-known technology critic.

But the Americans!

Yes, there are American elephants in the room: anyone who talks about the negative consequences of social media platforms cannot ignore the tech giants.

The negative impact of US platforms on our society and the well-being of users should be an incentive for us to do better next time.

With Facebook and Co. we have seen and felt at all levels what uncontrollable recommendation algorithms can do.

But let’s be realistic: as long as we don’t lead the American tech giants on a leash – through stricter regulations and consistent taxation – the Silicon Valley billionaires will dance over us.

This became apparent after the TikTok ban in India, where local venture capitalists tried to score with new apps. Success was limited. The big beneficiaries were the US tech companies, who used their market power to push their TikTok alternatives (YouTube reels, etc.).

And so it’s not surprising that Zuckerberg and Co. also being involved in the background and lobbying efforts to ban TikTok in the West.

PS: Could TikTok be banned globally in the US?

There are various reviews and feedback from the US on this. It shouldn’t be easy.

TikTok is trying to rally its many users against the project and has already paid influencers to protest in a media-effective way.

The Chinese-controlled company will certainly also deploy an army of lawyers and defend itself with all legal means. Just as it is possible in a democratic constitutional state in the West.

Sources