My Take | TikTok is the new Chinese threat to US national security
- The way some American politicians describe the harmless social app, you would think it’s more dangerous than Huawei, the 5G networks supplier, and nuclear weapons
TikTok is in the cross hairs of Washington. A ban in the United States may be imminent. I think I know why: Sarah Cooper.
The brilliant American comedian came to fame in recent months by mocking US President Donald Trump’s incorrigibly incoherent press briefings on the Covid-19 pandemic. The popular short video app from China has been her public platform of choice. If you can’t silence her, ban her app.
Watch her, if you haven’t yet, but make sure your mouth is not full. Otherwise you would gag or spit everything out from uncontrollable laughs. It’s easy to understand why the most powerful man in the world might be incensed. He has always made known his displeasure at comedians targeting his antics, most notably Alec Baldwin imitating him on television.
As much as I have tried, I can’t picture the Chinese social app being much of a threat to America’s national security.
How do you weaponise the personal data of US teenagers and young adults, and their dating and partying habits? Maybe an imaginative Hollywood scriptwriter is already hard at work.
But the way some US politicians describe TikTok, you would think it’s more dangerous than Huawei, the 5G networks supplier, and nuclear weapons.