TikTok, an app used by 170 million Americans, has been in the eye of a political hurricane several times over the past few years. From contentious hearings in Congress about the app’s ties to China to presidential pressure to sell, the future of the viral video app has remained uncertain for several years.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a law that bans TikTok in the United States. As a result of the ruling, TikTok’s servers went dark in the US for several hours on January 18 but were quickly brought back online the next day after President Trump promised to sign an executive order that would stay the ban for 75 days. He signed that order on his first day in office.

Amidst the political whiplash of it all, we asked SIS professor William Akoto to answer a few questions about the national security concerns surrounding TikTok and what this case tells us about the future of cybersecurity.

Since 2020, politicians and lawmakers have raised national security concerns about Tik Tok’s ties to China. Where do these concerns stem from, and are they legitimate?

The national security concerns surrounding TikTok stem primarily from its ties to China through its parent company, ByteDance. US lawmakers worry that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance to hand over American user data or manipulate the platform’s algorithm to spread propaganda or disinformation. These concerns are rooted in China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires Chinese companies to assist in intelligence gathering if requested by the government. This has led to fears that TikTok could be used as a tool for espionage or foreign influence operations, particularly given the platform’s massive user base in the US.

However, whether these concerns are entirely justified is debatable. While there is no public evidence that TikTok has shared US user data with the Chinese government, the possibility remains due to China’s legal framework and ByteDance’s partial state ownership. In my view, banning TikTok does not fully address broader issues of data privacy and foreign influence, as other social media platforms also collect extensive user data and have been exploited for disinformation campaigns. Focusing on comprehensive data privacy laws would be a more effective approach rather than targeting a single platform.

Is there a precedent for the US government attempting to ban apps over national security concerns?

Yes, there is precedent for the US government attempting to ban apps over national security concerns. During the first Trump administration in 2020, President Trump issued an executive order attempting to ban WeChat, another Chinese-owned app, citing national security risks (this was signed alongside a similar executive order targeting TikTok). The Trump administration argued that these apps could be used by the Chinese government to collect data on American citizens or spread propaganda. However, these bans were blocked in federal court as judges raised concerns about free speech and due process.

Other cases include Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese telecom companies that faced US government bans and trade restrictions due to national security concerns. In 2019, the US blacklisted Huawei from using American technology, citing espionage risks. Similarly, in 2022, the US banned the sale of communications equipment from Huawei and ZTE due to concerns that they posed a risk to national security. These precedents highlight a broader trend of US efforts to limit Chinese tech firms’ influence, though courts have often required stronger justifications for outright bans on consumer apps like TikTok and WeChat.

What does this case tell us about the future of cybersecurity on apps used by millions of Americans?

The TikTok case underscores the growing tension between national security, digital privacy, and free speech in the US government’s approach to cybersecurity. It highlights that as apps collect vast amounts of user data, governments will likely continue to scrutinize foreign-owned platforms, especially those linked to geopolitical rivals like China. However, as I mentioned earlier, banning a single app does not solve the broader issue of data security and foreign influence, as many US-based social media platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram also collect large amounts of user data that have been exploited for disinformation campaigns (in the case of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal, for example). 

Early indications from the new Trump administration suggest that cybersecurity policies may shift toward stronger data protection laws rather than outright bans. My advice to lawmakers is that instead of singling out individual apps, they should implement comprehensive regulations to safeguard user data across all platforms, regardless of ownership. Banning foreign apps without addressing systemic cybersecurity vulnerabilities could create a false sense of security while failing to protect Americans from broader privacy threats. 

Based on the concerns about national security brought forth by the government's lawyers before the Supreme Court, do you think a ban or threats of bans could be levied on other Chinese apps?

Yes, based on the national security concerns raised in the TikTok Supreme Court case, it is likely that the US government could extend similar scrutiny—and potential bans—to other Chinese-owned apps. The core arguments made by the government’s lawyers centered on data privacy risks, potential foreign influence, and China’s legal framework, which could compel companies like ByteDance to cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies. These same concerns apply to other popular Chinese apps, such as WeChat (owned by Tencent), CapCut (a video-editing app also owned by ByteDance), and Temu (an online marketplace operated by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings), which handle large amounts of user data and have growing US user bases.

Given the bipartisan support for restricting Chinese tech influence, future actions could include forced divestitures and stricter data localization laws on apps deemed national security risks. However, it is almost guaranteed that these measures will face legal challenges in US courts using the same First Amendment argument employed by TikTok if user expression is affected. In any case, as I have already indicated, targeting only Chinese-owned apps while allowing other companies to collect and sell vast amounts of user data does not fully address the underlying cybersecurity risks. A more effective approach would be broad data protection laws, such as stronger regulations on data collection, stricter rules on third-party data sales, and clearer guidelines on how tech companies handle sensitive information. Additionally, data localization laws, requiring companies to store American user data within the US, could reduce risks without outright bans.

Could the US TikTok ban escalate tensions between the US and China in the tech sector?

Yes, the TikTok ban could exacerbate US-China tensions, particularly in the ongoing technology and trade conflict. China has already denounced US efforts to ban or force the sale of TikTok, viewing them as politically motivated and an attack on Chinese businesses. This move may provoke retaliatory measures such as restrictions on US tech companies operating in China or further trade restrictions on critical technologies like semiconductors.

More broadly, the ban aligns with a larger trend of “techno-nationalism,” where both the US and China seek to limit each other’s access to critical technologies. The US has already imposed chip export controls on China, while China has restricted exports of rare earth minerals crucial for American tech production. If the US continues targeting Chinese apps and companies, it could intensify decoupling between the two economies, making global tech supply chains more fragmented and increasing geopolitical tensions.