LONDON: It is a sign of our fungible times that an internet platform that hosts viral short-form videos of lip-syncing teenagers, gurgling babies and beauty tutorials can be deemed a national security threat. But this week, TikTok urged a United States federal appeals court to overturn a recent law, triggered by Washington’s security concerns, that would force the Chinese-owned company to sell its US offshoot or shut up shop in four months’ time . The case is being closely watched around the world as governments increasingly look to police the internet.
Is the US action reasonable or counterproductive? TikTok has argued that a ban would have a “staggering” impact on its 170 million US users. “This law imposes extraordinary speech prohibition based on indeterminate future risks,” its lawyer told the hearing. The company has previously highlighted the ban’s potential harm to its 7 million business customers as well as countless wannabe influencers.
The US administration’s case, much of it classified, is that TikTok represents a threat to the US because the company might hand over personal data to Beijing or seek to influence political debate by promoting or censoring content. In previous congressional hearings, US officials have argued that China could “weaponise America’s data against us” pointing to TikTok as “Exhibit A”. TikTok has fiercely contested the accusations and its Chinese parent company ByteDance has said it would not sell its US business .