Cybersecurity expert weighs in on the possibility of a U.S. ban of TikTok
Anyone who has a Gen-Z person in their life is likely familiar with the popular social media app TikTok, but a new bill in the U.S. may soon take it off of the American market.
With so much singing, dancing, and lip syncing all in one app, TikTok seems fairly innocent, but the app has gained much scrutiny recently, raising a number of security concerns largely including their involvement with the Chinese government.
“The biggest concern is who is ultimately the owner and controller of a massive media platform where a lot of people get their news. Having that ultimately be in the control or influence of the Chinese Communist Party is a massive concern for the United States,” said Beauceron Security CEO, David Shipley in an interview Thursday.
A bill signed by the United States President, Joe Biden, will require the company’s Chinese owner to sell to an American, or the app will no longer be able to operate in the massive U.S. market.
Shipley adds the ban has gone farther than just being a partisan issue.
“There is a very real threat. Remember, this is the same United States where we’ve never seen more partisan, and across Republican to Democrat, everybody has gotten behind this. That tells you this is important, and real,” added Shipley.
“What the Americans are laying bare here is that you cannot trust what is going on with TikTok, and how they are influencing the minds of our most important next generation.”
Shipley says one of the largest worries for the government is TikTok’s access of information, and how they can control what is being seen.
“Remember that at the core of these social media platforms are the algorithms that control what you get to see, when, and what topics. And it’s in absolute interest of the Chinese state to have us at each other’s throats, to have us reacting to things,” he said.
“It’s not a coincidence that social media is at such a fever peak and we’re also seeing issues like anti-Semitism, issues like partisanship in politics, issues like lack of faith that democracy even works.”
Another worry Shipley brought up is how hard it is to regulate apps like TikTok.
“We have to take a more sophisticated route to regulation. It was easy, honestly, in the days of radio and television because we regulated the airways and we viewed the natural resource that was limited as the spectrum, we were able to apply really sane regulation around media ownership, concentration, values, ethical accountability, editorial accountability,” said Shipley.
As for whether Canada should also take steps to ban the app, Shipley said we have bigger issues on our plate.
“This isn’t a fight that we need to stick our nose into, per se, let the Americans lead it. But we should be paying attention to it,” said Shipley.
“The reality is, however, when it comes to national security, besides not sticking our face in the middle of this, we can’t even get our house in order on far more pressing and fundamental things like the foreign interference inquiry, and the abuse of our nomination process. If we can’t take that seriously, we’re not ready to play this game at all,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
People in Gaza are 'wasting' from famine: World Food Programme director
World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain says people living in Gaza are 'wasting' as famine concerns continue amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
'Miscommunication' Liberals say of Speaker Fergus event invite Conservatives call partisan
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
'Mr. Trump doesn't worry us', says Canadian ambassador
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues the 'Team Canada' charm offensive to U.S. lawmakers and business leaders, Canada's ambassador to the United States downplayed the effect of another Trump presidency on Canada.