How is his business Chinese hot air balloon which was shot down over the US last month could be related to the future of the popular app tik tak;

It is a fact that since the balloon incident, US-China relations have gone through a major crisis. A crisis that seems to be casting its “shadow” on TikTok as well.

“TikTok:” spy ball “in our mobile”

Last week, a committee of the US Congress supported a bill that could give US president power to ‘block’ – Chinese-owned – TikTok. Republican committee chairman Michael McCall argued that the “balloon” incident heightened fears of espionage by the Chinese state. In fact, he described TikTok as “spy ball on our mobile phone“.

This all comes just days after Canada announced it would adopt a US policy to block TikTok on government officials’ phones for security reasons. It is noted that the executive branch of the European Union, as well as the European Parliament, have adopted an appropriate policy regarding the popular application.

However, McCall’s bill it has to go through many stages before it becomes the law of the state, becauserequires the approval of both houses of Congress before it falls into his hands Joe Biden. It is also worth noting that this bill is a continuation of other similar initiatives to restrict TikTok.

Most notably, in the Senate, Republican Josh Hawley introduced a provision to ban TikTok nationwide, and Senator Marco Rubio, also a Republican, promoted a similar plan.

Objections to a potential TikTok ban

On the other hand, free speech organizations such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) are on the lookout arguing that attempts to ban TikTok would violate constitutional rights.

And all this while McCall’s bill, which seems to be moving much faster than the ACLU expected, seeks to set broader conditions by imposing sanctions on any company that is “indirectly or directly” exposed to China’s influence.

Gina Livendoff, a senior adviser to the ACLU, warns that many companies other than TikTok could be affected by the plan. And while it still seems unclear how and by what means a potential complete ban on TikTok could be implemented, Livendov fears that such a practice could open the way to arbitrary choice of which companies will eventually be “blocked” and by what criteria.

The text of McCall’s bill quotes FBI Director Christopher Wray as warning that TikTok is essentially controlled by the Chinese government. He characteristically said that the Chinese state has the ability to “manipulate” the algorithm that determines what videos users watch on the app, alleging that TikTok is giving Beijing access to user data so that the Chinese side can service “its spy plans.”

For its part, TikTok has denied that the data or algorithm it uses is available to the Chinese state. It is also noted that the American company Oracle conducted investigations into the control of TikTok’s algorithms and content to ensure that they are not associated with or manipulated by the Chinese authorities.

Negotiations, “shadows” and political “thorns”

While skepticism about TikTok’s degree of independence from Beijing has long been present in the public sphere, no hard evidence has emerged of linking the app’s algorithm to the Chinese state.

However, an event that took place about a year ago should have undermined the credibility of TikTok. In particular, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, admitted that its employees tried to use the app to spy on journalists.

However, Livendov emphasizes that the collection and subsequent distribution of user data is not just a TikTok problem, but a general problem that requires a comprehensive solution – a federal law, that is, protecting user data, which is not the case in the United States.

Returning to the US relationship with TikTok, it should be noted that the relevant Foreign Investment Control Committee has studied popular social networks in detail. In fact, TikTok believed that there was an agreed scheme of work, control and mutual support with the American side – through the mediation of Oracle.

A TikTok spokesperson said that the most appropriate option to resolve open issues is to accept this agreement in the context and logic of the consultations that have been held with the US authorities over the past two years.

This process is sort of “frozen” today, as its completion requires the approval of the White House, which is quite difficult at this stage due to the US-China crisis that arose due to the “adventure” with the spy balloon.

“A deal with Oracle will mitigate any risk and work effectively,” said James Lewis, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank. The thorn in Lewis’s side that is hindering the completion of this agreement is political in nature.

What applies in the UK

In the UK, spy agency director Jeremy Fleming said last year that he “doesn’t care if his kids use TikTok.” Despite this, a group of conservative politicians, including Conservative leaders, called on Downing Street and senior officials to shut down their TikTok accounts. The political wing’s arguments are based on China’s intelligence law, which they claim provides that Chinese companies are required to feed Chinese intelligence agencies whenever necessary.

However, for now, any scenario of blocking or banning TikTok in the UK does not seem to have much of a chance of coming to fruition. Michelle Donnellan, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, told Politico that “there is no evidence that we need to ban TikTok.” After all, such a choice, according to Donelan, would require the presence of serious and unshakable evidence.

According to the Guardian