Since the advent of the TikTok app, it has been featured among users around the world, especially in the youth category, for its short and enjoyable visual content. However, this success has not gone unnoticed in the US political arena, with the application generating wide debate due to concerns about national security and the protection of users' data.
American concerns are centered around TikTok's association with China's ByteDance, where U.S. officials see this link as a potential threat, According to Chinese law, the Chinese government can force local companies to hand over data and information, enabling them to spy on or influence American users by manipulating the content on offer.
These concerns prompted the US administration, both under former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden, to take action to limit the use of TikTok in the US. In 2020, Trump tried to ban the application through executive orders, but these attempts faced legal challenges. Efforts continued under Biden, with TikTok banned on federal government agencies, and legislation to ban the app completely unless it was sold to an American company.
Amid these developments, speculation has emerged about the possibility of selling TikTok to renowned businessman Elon Musk, In 2020, Musk expressed interest in buying TikTok, but the deal was not done, However, the idea of selling TikTok to an American company, such as Musk, is a potential solution that can satisfy American concerns, as the United States can censor the company's operations and ensure that users' data is protected.
But the sale of TikTok is not as easy as expected, as it faces many challenges, including the Chinese government's approval, which may refuse to sell technology it considers strategically important, TikTok's high market value is another impediment, valued at billions of dollars, which makes its purchase extremely expensive.
The issue goes beyond a single application, reflecting the escalation of technological and economic competition between the United States and China, where each country seeks to maintain its superiority in the areas of technology and data, TikTok is seen as a symbol of this competition, representing Chinese success in the global app market, which raises US concern that these platforms could be used for political influence or intelligence gathering, It can be seen as part of a technological cold war, where digital tools are used as a weapon in this conflict, Moreover, the debate over TikTok brings to mind previous cases involving other Chinese tech companies such as Huawei, which have also faced restrictions in the United States over similar espionage and national security concerns. This also raises questions about the future of Chinese tech companies in global markets, and whether they will face increasing difficulties in expanding outside China due to these political concerns