Is TikTok a real threat or a false pretext?

This means that already-protected American data would be under the protection of US law and the control of an American-led security team, dispelling fears that this data would be subject to Chinese law.

These are exceptional measures not provided by other social media applications, which are primarily American, and which are able to breach data security and privacy measures, manipulate content, and spy on the entire world's data.

No concern for facts

TikTok has seemingly united 29 Republican and 23 Democratic lawmakers in their desire to ban the Chinese application, just as what was previously done with Huawei and ZTE.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers who joined forces in the "Mother of all Battles" clearly are not concerned with the facts and practical proposals that Shou presented which accommodate America's demands and protect its national security.

The final verdict in Congress was: "The app must be banned!"

Rodgers clearly expressed this when she told Shou: "We do not trust that TikTok will ever embrace American values — values such as freedom, human rights, and innovation."

On what grounds then do Congress members place their trust in other applications — such as Facebook, Instagram, Amazon and Twitter?

The fact remains that 150 million Americans (approximately half of the US population) use TikTok — citizens who are supposedly free (in principle) to think and choose for themselves.

The committee was also not moved by the fact that 5 million small and medium businesses use the application to promote and develop their business in the United States, and that the application employs 7,000 people on American soil. 

Despite being faced with aggression, Shou's confidence and strong personality shined throughout his testimony. His confidence was surely buoyed by the fact that TikTok has outperformed American social media applications such as Instagram and Snapchat and has revolutionised the industry.

Global repercussions

By any standards, this is clearly a heated economic war that has strayed from the path of traditional political-economic conflict between two world powers who do not shy away from hostile exchanges. This war will surely produce repercussions across the entire world and affect the life of every American citizen.

With lightning speed — similar to the fast pace of social media — calls to ban the app on government devices have been increasing in the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Norway due to "cybersecurity" concerns.

On his part, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed solidarity with the American position, and French President Emmanuel Macron, during a national meeting last December, oddly accused TikTok of censoring content, describing the application as "the most disruptive (psychologically), the most effective network among young people."

Meanwhile, Nato has also become effectively involved in the war which is a natural extension of the war on microchips and Taiwanese semiconductors.

The world has not yet forgotten the tension that was sparked when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the largest manufacturer of microchips in the world which is at risk of being invaded by China at any time.

The visit came after President Joe Biden's administration had imposed comprehensive restrictions on providing advanced semiconductors and chip-making equipment to Chinese companies for fear that they would use the cutting-edge technology to develop their military systems, including weapons of mass destruction.

Read more: How microchips are reshaping geopolitics

False pretexts

"TikTok is a weapon by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on you and manipulate what you see and exploit for future generations," said Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers addressing the American people.

As the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq was commemorated this month, these words, along with Nato's political and media campaign, remind us of those uttered by former President George W. Bush, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and their well-known partners on the eve of their invasion under the false pretext that Iraq harboured weapons of mass destruction.

Today, TikTok is being portrayed as China's 'weapon of mass destruction' and the war drums are fervently beating.