The Tik-Tok Ban: What are the Risks and Their Implications?

TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over a billion active users worldwide. While the app has brought entertainment and community-building to people all over the world, its technical aspects have raised serious concerns among policymakers, experts, and the public alike.

There are several technical aspects of TikTok that make it a potential threat to users’ privacy, security, and overall well-being. In this article, we will explore these technical risks and what they mean for TikTok users.

1.) The Algorithm

TikTok’s algorithm is perhaps the app’s most famous feature, with many people crediting it with the app’s viral success. The algorithm is designed to learn from each user’s preferences and behaviors, serving up content that is most likely to engage the user.

While this algorithm can be incredibly powerful and effective, it has also raised serious concerns about the potential for TikTok to promote harmful or inappropriate content to vulnerable users. Children and teenagers, for example, may be more susceptible to harmful or explicit content, which can have a serious impact on their mental health and well-being.

In addition, there are concerns that the algorithm can be manipulated to promote certain types of content or messages. This could be used to spread disinformation or propaganda, as we’ve seen in other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. TikTok has taken steps to address these concerns, but they continue to persist.

2.) Data Collection

TikTok collects a vast amount of data on its users, including their location, device information, and browsing history. While the company claims that it uses this data to improve the user experience and personalize content recommendations, there are concerns about the potential for this data to be misused.

In particular, there have been concerns about the Chinese government accessing TikTok’s user data, given that the platform is owned by a Chinese company. While TikTok has repeatedly denied that it shares user data with the Chinese government, these concerns have led several governments to ban the app, including India and the United States.

TikTok has taken steps to address these concerns, such as opening a transparency center in the United States and appointing an American CEO. However, many people remain skeptical about the company’s ability to protect user data from prying eyes.

3.) Security Vulnerabilities

Like all software, TikTok is vulnerable to hacking and other security breaches, which could compromise user data and privacy. In addition, TikTok’s use of third-party software libraries and services, particularly those provided by Chinese companies, has raised concerns about the potential for backdoors or other security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors.

In 2020, security researchers found several vulnerabilities in the TikTok app, including one that allowed hackers to take control of user accounts and manipulate them for their own purposes. While TikTok has patched these vulnerabilities, they highlight the potential risks associated with using the app.

4.) Censorship

In addition to the three technical risks outlined above, there is a growing concern about TikTok’s censorship practices. While TikTok has always maintained a strict content moderation policy, there have been concerns that the app is censoring content that is critical of the Chinese government.

For example, in 2019, TikTok was accused of censoring content related to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. In addition, there have been reports of TikTok blocking content related to the Uighur Muslim minority in China, which has been subject to widespread human rights abuses.

These censorship concerns have raised questions about TikTok’s commitment to free speech and the potential for the app to be used as a tool for authoritarian censorship.

What Can We Do?

As TikTok continues to grow in popularity, it’s essential that we take these technical risks seriously and work to mitigate them. This means holding companies of apps like TikTok must be held accountable for their actions and ensure that users’ privacy and security are protected.

One way to address these risks is through regulation. Governments around the world are beginning to take action to regulate social media platforms, including TikTok. For example, the European Union has proposed new rules that would require social media companies to take greater responsibility for the content on their platforms and to be more transparent about how they collect and use user data.

In addition, users can take steps to protect their own privacy and security when using TikTok. This includes being mindful of the content they engage with, limiting the amount of personal information they share on the app, and using strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

TikTok itself has also taken steps to address these technical risks. The company has announced a number of initiatives to improve transparency, including publishing its moderation guidelines and allowing third-party experts to review its content moderation practices. TikTok has also launched a new Privacy Center to provide users with more information about how their data is collected and used.

While these steps are a positive development, it’s important to remain vigilant about the risks associated with using TikTok and other social media platforms. As we’ve seen in recent years, these platforms can have a profound impact on our lives, both for better and for worse. By understanding the technical risks associated with TikTok, we can work to ensure that this app and others like it are used responsibly and ethically.