Do I really need to write about this if I don’t use Tiktok? This is the question I asked for myself several times. The US government focused on the laser concentration on Tiktok ban, noting the risks of national security, concerns about data collection, and its relationships with China. While there are legitimate discussions about the effect of the application and the privacy of data, it seems that the Tiktok ban is more like the theater than the actual cybersecurity issue.
For me, if the government is interested in protecting Americans’ data, this will take place after the real threat – dark web markets and electronic criminals who sell stolen data every day. In this article, I discuss Tiktok mode and the importance of working against Internet criminals, which I call 10 %.
Tiktok controversy: the privacy of data or political leverage?
The batch to Ban Tiktok has gained great political support, and legislators argued that the ownership of the Chinese application allows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access to large quantities of American user data. The Biden administration has even threatened to force the parent company Tiktok, to sell the application or face a ban on the country level. This means that there are no more gentle videos to keep you awake at night instead of sleeping. Recently, the new legislative efforts appeared with the same argument: Tiktok is the danger of national security. But where does the evidence enter into the claim?
Fears regarding Tiktok are not without foundation. The app collects a large amount of user data, from tracking the site to behavioral analysis, such as its American counterparts, Facebook, Instagram, and Google. This is good news because American applications did not suffer from data violations and are safe for you. This is said with a sarcastic tone, of course. I will not write to you if I don’t know that most applications are absorbed when it comes to safety.
However, there is no concrete evidence to prove that Tiktok has handed over user data to CCP. At this stage, fear revolves around the possibility of abuse instead of documented accidents. I don’t know what CCP will do about me to go to the gym and CAT videos.
Meanwhile, the United States government is struggling to address data violations and ecosystems of ecosystems that flourish outside the TIKTOK effect. The dark web acts as an unorganized black market, where personal information, financial records, health care data and corporate secrets are sold daily. If anxiety about data safety is, then why is there no equal boost to eliminate Internet criminals responsible for this trade?
What we know about tiktok issues and privacy issues.
-
American national security threat: One of the most prominent legal battles includes concerns about the United States government about Tiktok data privacy. US officials have argued that Tiktok can share user data with the Chinese government, given that the application is owned by Bytedance, a Chinese company. This sparked national security concerns, which led to discussions about a potential ban and forcibly selling the application to an American company.
-
Data collection practices: Tiktok has faced a scrutiny for its extensive data collection practices, including site tracking, device information and browsing habits. Critics argue that these data can be misused by the Chinese government or any other harmful representatives.
-
Children’s peculiarity (COPPA Violations): In 2019, Tiktok faced a fine of $ 5.7 million from the US Federal Trade Committee (FTC) for violating the online privacy protection law (COPPA). FTC Tiktok has been accused of collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 without obtaining parents ’approval, which is required by law.
-
Vital data collection: Tiktok also faced legal challenges regarding the collection of biometric data (such as face recognition data). In Illinois, Tiktok was prosecuted by the violation of the BIPA Privacy Law (BIPA) by collecting biometric data without the user’s approval.
-
Control Fears: Tiktok has been criticized due to the content control that criticizes the Chinese government, especially the content related to sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square massacre, Tibet or Hong Kong. The platform faced allegations of control in favor of Chinese political interests.
-
Inappropriate content: Tiktok has also been criticized for dealing with inappropriate content, including hate speech, bullying and explicit materials. There were lawsuits and violent reaction on how the statute was managed and relied on the content created by the user.
-
Indian ban: In 2020, India banned Tiktok, referring to concerns about national security related to application data. The Indian government claimed that the application was a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India. This was part of a broader campaign on Chinese applications amid increasing tensions between India and China.
-
Checking the European Union: Tiktok has faced investigations by European organizers regarding its data privacy practices, especially with regard to regulating public data protection (GDPR). This includes scrutiny on how Tiktok is dealing with minors data and how to store and process user data.
I do not say that there is an application in particular that is the safest; I remember that Tiktok has a history of privacy. The government is not wrong in that. Although it is with regard to privacy, Tiktok has made great steps in improving security and privacy. The United States government is not enough because the owner depends on the Chinese, and they push to be owned by the United States. This, of course, is foolish for a Tiktok user on the basis that ownership has nothing to do with safety mechanisms and data privacy. Perhaps the focus is in its place?
Focus in its place: the need to reform real cybersecurity.
While the government is angry with the social media application, Internet criminals continue to work as usual. More than 10 % of all electronic crimes are driven by stolen data sales, creating an underground economy where hacked information is purchased and sold widely. Unlike Tiktok, which works in the sight of the general examination, these electronic gunmen are working in the shade, and benefit from theft of identity, fraud, and spy for companies.
The main violations affecting companies such as Equifax and T-Mobile and various health care providers leaked millions of Americans, yet the government response remains weak. Instead of focusing on proactive cybersecurity measures – such as the best implementation against electronic markets, improving the criteria for protecting corporate data, and breaking the initial access brokers – the political focus remains on Tiktok, an application that does not collect more data from any other prevailing social platform. If the government really wants to protect American citizens, it will give priority:
• Dominate the dark web markets – the infrastructure that provides sales of collective data rather than focusing on one company.
• Regulating data intercourse – holding legitimate companies that collect and sell user data legally, often with a little transparency.
• Enhancing cybersecurity laws-strengthening federal protection against large-scale violations and increasing penalties for companies that fail to secure sensitive information.
• Financing electronic crime investigations – Providing more resources to track and try infiltrators who work inside and outside the United States
Welcome to the bottom of the rocks
TIKTOK may not pose the risks of safety and privacy, but the greatest and most immediate threat comes from the ecosystem of booming ecosystems that is closing the stolen data. The US government’s installation on Tiktok’s ban is very similar to distracting the real issue and the need to address the violations of the outbreaks and electronic criminal activities other than the short video application at all.
If legislators really care about national security, they will stop fear for Tiktok and start processing 10 % of electronic crimes that sell stolen data actively in broad daylight. Until then, the focus on Tiktok seems more about politics than cybersecurity.
In the end, all social media platforms contain private data and safety problems. If you are worried about it, you can always come to the dark web … it’s a trustworthy place without law.
