Introduction: The TikTok Data Privacy Debate
As the world continues to become more digital, concerns about privacy have taken centre stage in the public arena in recent times, with the proliferation of social media platforms that harvest large amounts of user data. A video-sharing app, owned and operated by ByteDance, TikTok has come under much criticism, becoming a matter of concern over data privacy as well as national security. With the growing popularity of the app everywhere around the world, so does the scrutiny of how this app collects and handles user data. While addressing the concerns, national governments such as the United States or European countries have been wary due to the risk of the Chinese government using TikTok’s data for espionage. Public apprehension about digital platforms directly targets developing concerns about democracy management and data usage monitoring (Flew, 2021; Suzor, 2019).
The pressure between the attraction of TikTok’s entertainment-driven content and national security concerns provides a case for strong digital governance frameworks. This current case study involving TikTok’s data privacy remains one of the recent, timely, and significant concerns in the evolving intersection between privacy, security, and digital rights. In the following blog post, we will examine TikTok’s data privacy practices, the geopolitical tensions they have engendered, the company’s reaction to these anxieties, and the possible consequences of digital privacy and control in a platformed society.
Image: Demand for privacy protection arises as data privacy debate concerns TikTok and other apps
TikTok’s Data Privacy Practices
Similar to other social media sites, TikTok also collects a lot of information from users on this site. It includes all kinds of location information as well as user behaviour, such as which content is viewed, shared, or liked. Social media platforms are well known to use this practice for reasons such as personalizing user experiences and targeting their advertising, the main source of income (Flew, 2021). Nevertheless, what makes TikTok unique is that the app is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company. Due to China’s expansive surveillance and data control policies, the question has been raised as to whether the Chinese government has access to TikTok’s data, as it considers this ownership (Rembert, 2022).
Issues of data privacy under the spotlight of this TikTok controversy are much bigger than just one app – the problem extends to the overall power imbalances digital platforms have over their users. Flew (2021) further states that platforms like TikTok tend to have little accountability over how personal data is handled and seem to prey upon users. Suzor (2019) points out that personal data manipulation can construct an individual’s behaviour without the user being aware of it, and that the practice of ‘datafication’ engages in changing the personal life into commercial data points in a derogatory way. Like TikTok’s opaque data policies, TikTok also undermines core data privacy principles such as informed consent and control over personal information, too. According to Nissenbaum (2018), data collection should be tied to users’ expectations of data sharing along the lines that the data was shared, something that TikTok usually falls short of.
One of the most important issues is that the app could invade the privacy of its mostly young audience, such as facial recognition, geolocation, and browsing history. TikTok claims the data is held in multiple locations across the globe in order to protect privacy, but critics have said that its ties to the Chinese government, and its autonomous nature from them, pose risks. According to critics, such practices would leave users open to surveillance, especially on the part of government entities—accessing data under national security laws (Suzor, 2019).
One of the central points of the debate has been that the app puts the risk of espionage at hand. It’s also worth mentioning that in 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning TikTok due to the national security concerns related to the possibility of the Chinese government gaining access to sensitive information (Clausius, 2022). This ban was later blocked by the courts and reversed by the Biden administration, but the issue is not yet resolved. The controversy over Facebook highlights a wider worry about how basic private data can intersect with national security fears. TikTok sits at the intersection of these tensions faced by governments around the world in trying to strike the right balance between privacy and national security — and the sheer power of tech companies in the digital age.
Image: Does TikTok spy on you? What you need to know about your privacy
National Security Concerns and Geopolitical Tensions
The TikTok data privacy controversy, apart from creating a privacy debate in the world, has opened a political battle between countries as well. The main concern lies in the Chinese government’s ability to use and abuse the data collected by TikTok. Western countries, particularly the United States, have sounded alarms, citing the Chinese government’s control of companies with a presence in its borders by making laws for data-sharing with its authorities (Chan & Hadero, 2023). However, national security agencies say that TikTok’s data could be used for intelligence gathering or the influencing of public opinion in politically sensitive environments.
The biggest threat to TikTok comes from the United States, whose immunity from Chinese surveillance apparatus has long served as its justification for deep interference in Beijing’s internal affairs. The worry is that such user data could be used for espionage or psychological operations in line with wider worries about Chinese technological ambition and access to global digital infrastructure. Although the U.S. tried to ban the app in 2020 for national security risks (Fung, 2023), the legal battle has left it undetermined.
The U.S. is not alone in questioning TikTok’s data practices; other countries have, too. For example, India banned the app in 2020 due to national security concerns as well as the app’s connection to China (Segal et al., 2020). European lawmakers, too, have grown more wary of the app and raised questions over whether it is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and about the risks of transferring personal data outside Europe, including to a country whose data privacy laws are weaker than Europe’s (Rembert, 2022).
As a result, the geopolitical tensions surrounding TikTok have ratcheted up the debate about the app playing a part in the bigger clash over digital sovereignty. With more governments looking to see just how digital platforms amass and use personal data, the looming question is: are global tech companies as trustworthy as they seem in keeping sensitive data, particularly when those companies reside in countries engaged in political and economic rivalry with one another?
Image: The committee on foreign investment in the US is threatening a ban on the app unless its Chinese owners divest their stake.
TikTok’s Response and Attempts at Reassurance
In an effort to appease both governments and users, TikTok has sought to assure governments and users alike that it is dedicated to protecting personal data. In addition, the company has, time and again, asserted that it does not provide user data to the Chinese government, but rather complies with local laws regarding data privacy in every market it has (Segal et al., 2020). To tackle national security concerns, TikTok has also set up a U.S. transparency centre, where outside experts can scan the company’s data access practices. TikTok is building its way toward building trust and showcasing its dedication to privacy as part of its broader strategy.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, also calmed fears by attributing data handling processes to external audits and possible regulation. For instance, TikTok shifted the storage of data from U.S. users onto servers in the United States to comply with data sovereignty and local privacy laws (Fung, 2023). The measures also aim to ease concerns that the Chinese government could directly reach into user information, through a law on data control that requires companies to work with government intelligence agencies when they ask. Ferek (2020) says while this might assuage some of those fears, it does not take away the concern entirely that the Chinese government might still have access to the data through backdoor means.
Along with its transparency efforts, TikTok has also endeavoured to make data privacy policies more transparent for its users. The privacy policy for the updated app extensively lists what data is collected, how it will be used, and how users can manage their account settings. This also includes the option for users to delete their data or opt out of some of the data collection they incur, such as targeted advertising. Yet these efforts seem to please some critics but have failed to assure others that TikTok’s data protection complies with international data protection standards, such as GDPR and CCPA. Therefore, TikTok has achieved a great deal of success in addressing the issues, but it is still not clear whether these steps are sufficient to win back confidence among legislators and users in countries with strict rules governing the protection of data.
Image: A screenshot of TikTok’s data privacy settings on a mobile app, showing options for users to control what data is collected and how it’s used.
Broader Implications for Digital Privacy and Governance
The TikTok controversy is just one point of contention in a broader debate about what people, governments, and technology providers should say or do online about privacy and government control. Since they are becoming vexed by the same reality, global data flows, and surveillance, the governance of digital platforms is being adapted to this reality. The questions about TikTok’s data collection practices show how to manage online platforms that span international borders and face differing laws and rules in every country.
In response, governments and regulatory bodies (European Union, Australia) have strengthened their privacy and data protection laws. There is an example of such legislation in the form of the EU’s GDPR and Australia’s Privacy Act. These frameworks mandate that companies will have to be transparent about their data collection practices as well as give users more control over their personal data. While these legal advancements have been made, regulators face the challenge of technological change as digital platforms develop at an almost blinding rate. In particular, it is in the TikTok case where one can clearly see the tension between national security interests and user privacy and the problem of enforcing privacy laws in a digital world that goes beyond national borders (Goggin et al., 2017).
But the TikTok data debate also has far bigger ramifications for the place of platforms in modern society. Current platforms, with such power to control vast amounts of personal data, require governance regimes exploring how the process of their operations can be conducted in a manner that respects the privacy rights of users and important national security concerns. According to Flew (2021), while digital platforms need to be regulated for the provision of fair competition and the protection of individual rights, this regulation must somehow balance their need to innovate. Finding the right balance between respecting the global nature of the internet and the particular legal, cultural, and political contexts in which platforms operate demands new governance models.
In addition, the TikTok controversy reflects the increasing relevance of data sovereignty. Working with the idea that foreign companies could have access to data of their citizens, countries are thinking of getting laws that prompt companies to store their data inside their borders. Many governments have this idea of “data localization” but it can fragment the internet and increase the chances of surveillance. In that sense, the TikTok case brings attention to the geopolitical risks of digital platforms and the importance of cooperation among nations on digital practices.
Image: Countries with targeted bans on TikTok
Conclusion
Indeed, the debate about TikTok’s data privacy practices reflects larger challenges surrounding digital privacy, governance and national security in the world today. The more digital innovation of this kind produces record levels of data for platforms like TikTok, the harder it is for privacy advocates and governments to strike the right balance between the benefits and the dangers to personal freedoms and national security. Although TikTok has brought some confidence to government officials and users by making the platform more transparent and abiding by local data protection laws, the questions about the connections to China for the company continue to demonstrate the difficulties of regulating a global digital platform.
In this case, it highlights the necessity for more robust and cohesive digital governance frameworks. Such frameworks should not compromise user privacy, transparency, and accountability but rather address valid national security concerns. With technology advancing at such a fast pace, all over the globe, policymakers should jointly push for digital platforms to responsibly use personal data, consistent with human rights standards. However, the fate of digital privacy depends not only on actions taken by tech giants like TikTok, but also on governments’ capacity to enact fair, transparent, and fair laws that defend individuals in a digital world.
References
Chan, K., & Hadero, H. (2023, March 24). TikTok CEO faces tough questions over security risks. Associated Press. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ceo-security-risk
Clausius, M. (2022). The banning of TikTok, and the ban of foreign software for national security purposes. Washington University Global Studies Law Review, 21(2), 87-100. https://journals.library.wustl.edu/globalstudies/article/id/8751/
Ferek, K. S. (2020, September 14). Data privacy increasingly a focus of national security reviews; Oracle, TikTok proposal is high-profile example of the kind of deals U.S. officials are examining. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/data-privacy-increasingly-a-focus-of-national-security-reviews-11600
Flew, T. (2021). Regulating platforms. Cambridge: Polity.
Fung, B. (2023, March 24). TikTok collects a lot of data. But that’s not the main reason officials say it’s a security risk. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/24/tech/tiktok-ban-national-security-hearing/index.html
Goggin, G., Vromen, A., Weatherall, K., Martin, F., Webb, A., Sunman, L., & Bailo, F. (2017). Digital rights in Australia. University of Sydney.
Nissenbaum, H. (2018). Respecting context to protect privacy: Why meaning matters. Science and Engineering Ethics, 24(3), 831-852. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-018-0042-3
Rembert, R. L. (2022). TikTok, WeChat, and national security: Toward a U.S. data privacy framework. Oklahoma Law Review, 74(3), 463-501.
Segal, A., Frederick, K., Tsai, F., & Edelman, R. D. (2020, November 12). TikTok on the clock: Data, deals, and national security [Video]. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/event/tiktok-clock-data-deals-and-national-security
Suzor, N. P. (2019). Lawless: The secret rules that govern our digital lives. Cambridge University Press.
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