Has TikTok become a scapegoat for global political and economic tensions?

Since the US first accused TikTok of data misuse and censorship in October 2019, the social media giant has faced significant criticism from governments across the world.

The Chinese app, owned by Bytedance, has become immensely popular during lockdown, reaching over 500 million users in May 2020. The short videos of challenges and dance crazes have undoubtedly invited positivity and humour in the midst of a tragic global emergency.

There are growing suspicions that the video platform threatens data protection and the national security in both the UK and US. India were the first state to ban TikTok at the end of June in addition to 58 other Chinese apps after military clashes, however the US are yet to ban the app despite constant accusations of the Chinese government accessing private data.

Trump’s government have proposed that they will allow the app to continue to operate in the US on the condition that they become an American-owned company. However, TikTok are adamant that they will locate their new headquarters in London, creating 3000 new jobs.

The UK is yet to comment on whether the app faces a British ban, however it is becoming increasingly evident that TikTok has been blamed for wider political and economic problems.

TikTok hosts a huge threat to Western economies due to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all being American-owned. More importantly, the Chinese government has frosty relationships with both the UK and US over Huawei’s 5G network, as well as trade rows and claims that foreign aid has been used to create direct competition in China to Western companies.

Therefore, TikTok may have become a scapegoat for global economic tensions which have been heightened by the looming post-lockdown recession and existing political spats between China and America that other states have been pressured into.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Chinese social media app has become tied to politics however their increasing influence in Europe and their new London-based HQ should help them to avoid future scrutiny.

Kathryn Wylie

Junior Account Executive