The US to ban TikTok goes more than “privacy concerns” but an unjust practice to block development of Chinese tech company: experts

The US to ban TikTok goes more than “privacy concerns” but an unjust practice to block development of Chinese tech company: experts

President Donald Trump said that he planned to ban the popular short-form video app TikTok’s operating in the United States late Friday, sparking widespread concerns and panic from millions of people who make or watch the videos for entertainment. The Trump administration also rejected potential deal from Microsoft to acquire the app from ByteDance, according to the Chinese owner of TikTok. 

Such move is not really out of security concerns, but an unjust practice to protect the interests of U.S. companies by blocking the development of a Chinese high-tech giant. With domestic number of #COVID19 patients spiking, the threat is also a way to divert Americans’ attention from the government’s failures during the epidemic, according to experts in International Relations. 

The approach is essentially an escalation of the repeated suppression against the TikTok, which exposes the United States’ ignorance of fair competition and the hypocrisy of the so-called freedom. Behind the scene, the ban is obviously to serve one side’s interest, Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Institute of Strategic Studies at the Chinese Academy of International Studies, said in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV). 

Indeed, the hostility towards the app goes further than “privacy concerns.” It is a siege against a rising Chinese tech company, according to Fang Xingdong, dean of Internet and Social Research Center under the Communication University of Zhejiang

The accusation of data security infringement is groundless. TikTok’s efforts of protecting personal privacy information were no difference from other companies. Therefore, the Trump administration lacks of legal basis to prohibit this app from operation, a lawyer of Getech Law told CCTV. 

TikTok’s popularity in the United Sates has skyrocketed with 165 million downloads as of April, accounting for about 50 percent of its total population. As the second largest overseas market, the monthly active users in the United States is about 30 million, according to the CCTV. 

American youngsters voiced their support under the topic #SaveTikTok on Twitter. “For Gen Z, TikTok is like a club for us. If the app is blocked, I will lose a group of friends and also all efforts made for my followers,” said a Tiktok influencer. (By Luewen)