TikTok is set for a September court appearance to contest the decision of Congress and the Biden administration to force the app to divest or cease operations. Let’s hope it prevails.
The ink hadn’t even dried on President Biden’s signature on bipartisan legislation that would force ByteDance to sell the app or have it be banned in the United States before Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas warned another app was “more dangerous than TikTok.” Like TikTok, Temu is owned by a Chinese company. Cotton has set his sights on Temu due to malware concerns stemming from other apps owned by the same major holding company, even though Temu has never been found to have been impacted itself.
Therein lies the big reveal. Congress has entered a McCarthy-esque state of paranoia against a critical US trading partner that has major ramifications for the future of commerce. But now that Cotton revealed that lawmakers are preparing Salem witch trials against Chinese-made apps, we finally have intellectual honesty in this debate.
The question now being put forth to Americans is should Chinese companies be allowed to make apps for you?
Absolutely.
There is nothing unique about TikTok’s data collection practices compared to thousands of other apps that one can download. In 2014, many articles were written on how even a basic flashlight app could potentially collect all sorts of user data. Ironically, Apple’s iPhone customers were supposedly less vulnerable than other smartphone users due to their more robust permission system. This is noteworthy because the Department of Justice is now embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit against Apple that claims, among other things, that there is no merit to Apple’s argument its default app store is necessary to improve safety and security on the device. Maybe Apple can use this as “Exhibit A.”
Whether it’s a photo editing software, a gaming app, or even a basic flashlight download — yes, apps are collecting your data. Not only that, but data brokers are selling your data, meaning people from countries all over the world are able to buy it. TikTok isn’t novel in its data collection practices, it’s just more successful — because a hundred million Americans want its product.
While bearing in mind that companies and people anywhere have the ability to collect data on you through apps or other means — doesn’t it seem a little ridiculous Congress has taken this posture toward China?
I don’t mean to romanticize the Chinese government — though it’s hardly alone as a government many would deem too authoritarian — but let’s properly contextualize it.
The China of today has more economic prosperity than the China my grandfather visited in the early 1990s. I recall his most vivid observation was how seemingly everyone used bicycles as transportation because hardly anyone could afford a car. Today cars, McDonalds, and Starbucks are an increasingly common sight in China’s major cities.
One might quibble that, after these decades of significant economic progress and moving toward more open markets, China has taken a step back in most recent years. But let’s remember where it came from — and that over 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past 40 years. This enormous alleviation of human suffering is a humanitarian success story that cannot be overlooked.
It is embarrassing to watch politicians scold China for being too authoritarian on the one hand while banning Americans from transacting with Chinese companies with the other. Americans should have the freedom to choose which products and services they use, as well as who they conduct business with. If a Chinese scientist discovered a cure for cancer, we would all want access to it. Trade with China is of even greater importance when we consider that our economic ties reduce the likelihood of future conflict. Simply put, it’s not good business for either side to bomb its customers.
That is why we cannot lose sight of the disastrous consequences if we let politicians continue down this road. Where does it end — a bifurcated internet?
Maybe I’m radical. But I think if a person from China invents an app that improves your life, you should be able to have it.
