I’m not sure if there was a story getting more attention in the week leading up to the Trump inauguration than the confusion and controversy surrounding the TikTok ban.
While that might seem ridiculous in the face of how many other national and international issues are going to be impacted, it shouldn’t be underestimated. I don’t typically try to cover front-page events on The Moloch, but it’s my firm belief that the political impact of the ban is an effective microcosm of the numerous fights around tech policy and civil liberties coming for Americans. Stay with me.
Because the situation is still developing, the status as of the time of this writing is that TikTok is back in the US. The company publicly thanked Donald Trump (the President who initially insisted on restricting it in the first place). The “shutdown” only lasted 14 hours.
While this has largely gained momentum in recent weeks, the TikTok saga has unfolded since the early days of the first Trump presidency, as well as the entirety of Biden’s. While many on the outside might dismiss the app as weaponized brainrot, or “that dance app for kids”, nearly 40 percent of young adults (which includes voters) get a majority of their news coverage from it. Now, when considering how hard Gen Z males swung right in the 2024 election, a potential relationship between these data points should be enough to take what happens on the app seriously for both Democrats and Republicans.

The TikTok story, like it or not, might be at the front line of evolving concerns over cybersecurity, data privacy, and geopolitical tension.
Under the first Trump administration, TikTok faced tremendous scrutiny, culminating in two executive orders that sought to ban the app outright, or force its sale to a US company. The orders triggered a counter-suit by TikTok‘s owners, Chinese company, ByteDance, against the administration. The back-and-forth that ensued seemed to buy the app some time. It also helped mainstream the US-China tech rivalry throughout Biden’s tenure far more effectively than the CHIPS Act ever did.
I genuinely believe that TikTok poses legitimate cybersecurity and influence operations risks. However, its treatment by policymakers misses the point: the truly mishandled threat posed by social media platforms and tech companies as a whole.
TikTok‘s presence and the discourse around its legal status are indicative of a much larger series of problems that I believe are only getting harder to confront as Big Tech gets ever more entrenched. The entire saga of the ban has the US government and its tech industry revealing tremendous hypocrisy and corruption. US politicians are playing both sides. That said, TikTok‘s management seems to be playing both sides, as well.

Despite my opposition to outright banning the app, I argue that this controversy should compel us to confront social media practices at large, and possibly consider something that’s antithetical to the US tech industry and the incoming administration: sweeping regulations.
A Quick Timeline
Not going to front here, this was largely taken from Axios and AP. I’ll just link them up top.

2019-2020 Initial Concerns During First Trump Admin
- October 2019: US politicians begin raising concerns about TikTok‘s influence, calling for federal investigations.
- December 2019: The Pentagon recommends deleting TikTok from all military phones.
2020 The First Actions Against TikTok
- July 2020: India bans TikTok and other Chinese apps.
- August 2020: Trump issues executive orders banning American companies from transactions with ByteDance and demanding ByteDance divest from TikTok‘s US operations.
- November 2020: Joe Biden is elected president, and Trump’s plans to force a sale of TikTok start to unravel.
2020-2024 The Biden Administration
- February 2021: Biden postpones legal cases involving Trump’s plan to ban TikTok.
- December 2022: FBI Director Christopher Wray raises national security concerns about TikTok.
- February 2023: The White House gives federal agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from government devices.
- March 2023: The TikTok CEO gets grilled at a congressional hearing.
- April 2024: A bill to ban TikTok or force its sale to a US company passes Congress.
- April 24, 2024: President Biden signs legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US owner within a year or to shut down.
2024-Today: The Legal Challenges Heat Up, And The Ban Fakeout
- May 2024: TikTok and ByteDance sue the US federal government to challenge the law.
- December 6, 2024: A federal appeals court panel upholds a law that could lead to TikTok ban.
- December 27, 2024: President-elect Trump asks the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban.
- January 17, 2025: The Supreme Court unanimously upholds the federal law banning TikTok unless it’s sold to a US company.
- January 18, 2025: TikTok shuts down services in the US before the ban actually takes effect, and despite the fact that the Biden Administration decided not to enforce the ban.
- January 20, 2025 (today): TikTok comes back online and thanks a newly-returned president Trump.

TikTok Is A Very Real Cybersecurity Threat
TikTok’s rising star as the only major social media app not based in the US has brought with it a stack of cybersecurity concerns that are of mixed validity. As a platform owned by ByteDance, a company headquartered in China, it has faced persistent allegations of being a potential conduit for Chinese government surveillance. Here are some of the more valid criticisms that have been thrown at it over the past few years.
Chinese Ownership
Let’s knock out the most glaring fact about ByteDance and TikTok. The app is technically Chinese-owned, despite being banned in China. While I’ll go into the less-legitimate reasons why this is a “problem” later, this simple fact is still nothing to sniff at.
It unfortunately won’t get the attention that it deserves in this article, but the Chinese tech industry has a hand in the country’s very real human rights violations. This has been a cause for ending previous purchasing relations with US and European companies (among other sanctions). Let’s call it like it is: the Chinese government is repressive and authoritarian in its nature. It has deputized its tech industry in many of its campaigns of internal humanitarian abuses.
Since 2017, the Chinese government has had the legal right to mandate that all organizations and citizens within the country assist and cooperate with national intelligence efforts. An additional cybersecurity law, introduced the same year, has required network operators to provide technical support to national security entities involved in investigating criminal activities.
Effectively, there is nothing stopping the Chinese government from accessing every nibble of data that goes through a Chinese server. Even if ByteDance wanted to mount some theoretical, heroic defense of its user data, they have no legal leg to stand on in their home country. That said, nothing on TikTok officially goes through Chinese network infrastructure.

Data Collection Practices
TikTok’s data collection practices are pretty expansive, though (say it again) arguably no different than any other major social media app. The scope of its collection seems to differ based on when the various studies on this topic have taken place.
The user data captured by TikTok encompasses everything from user location and device information, browsing habits, and biometric data. While such practices are not uncommon among social media platforms, it seems quite excessive when you review the privacy policy. The biggest standout is how it has access to your clipboard. This is a big one, as it allows for capturing of passwords and other login data that may not be related to TikTok.
This article by Wired contextualizes a lot of these practices and interviews Rowenna Fielding, who breaks down what’s problematic about them. However, I wanted to bring attention to this other piece that was sourced in the Wired article and takes a more sinister tone. It talks about the novel way that TikTok tries to obscure the data that it’s capturing from you, as well as its volume, though the article’s sources are largely reliant on information posted to Reddit.
“For what it’s worth I’ve reversed the Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter apps. They don’t collect anywhere near the same amount of data that TikTok does, and they sure as hell aren’t outright trying to hide exactly what’s being sent like TikTok is. It’s like comparing a cup of water to the ocean – they just don’t compare.”
Reddit User Bangorlol
Algorithms And Psyop Potential
Almost all social media attempts to grab-and-hold our attention via perpetually tweaked recommendation algorithms. TikTok’s algorithm, often described as the best but also most addictive among its peers, is one of its most controversial aspects. While this has contributed to the platform’s meteoric rise, it has also raised some occasionally-shaky concerns about its potential to influence user behavior and public opinion.
Far from alarmist, however, is the fact that, according to a 2022 report by NewsGuard, over 19 percent of news content on TikTok contained misinformation. Much of this was around topics such as January 6th, climate change, mass shootings, and vaccines. Similarly, a report by CNET talks about the troubling amount of election disinformation that TikTok platformed during the 2022 midterms. A report from Harvard‘s Misinformation Review talks about how the high level of information buy-in on the platform comes from the “TikTok format”. It describes TikTok creators’ approach as feeling “highly immersive, authentic, and relatable”, which is encouraged by its algorithm.
Previous Incidents
There have been several incidents where it seems that TikTok and ByteDance have gone beyond the realm of legality in collecting data on specific individuals. Several of the following incidents include an infraction against journalists during a December 2022 investigation. The same four ByteDance employees were identified and terminated as a result of the investigation. To the company’s mild credit, some of this is known because of ByteDance‘s disclosure.
- Austrian Watchdog Files Credible GDPR Complaint
Noyb (None of Your Business) filed a GDPR complaint against China-based or affiliated tech companies, TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat, and Xiaomi for unlawful data transfers to China throughout 2024. - ByteDance Tracked Three Forbes Journalists
- ByteDance Was Caught Tracking Buzzfeed Journalists Investigating TikTok
This was uncovered in the same incident as the above one impacting Forbes, however, in this case, the Buzzfeed employees were investigating TikTok‘s business practices. - TikTok Employees Tracked UK Journalist
TikTok management informed Financial Times journalist, Cristina Criddle that four of its employees–two in China and two in the US–had accessed her personal account data without her consent. This unauthorized access aimed to identify her sources for stories about TikTok‘s internal practices. Notably, Criddle’s TikTok account was under her cat’s name, Buffy, with no mention of her own name or profession.
Is This Really Any Different From US Tech?
While this is all truly horrible, TikTok’s practices are actually not entirely unique within the social media or big tech industries. I think we should all be asking the powers that be, and–more importantly, ourselves–whether or not the focus on the platform is warranted, or merely a reflection of geopolitical tensions. Should we have let any of these companies have this kind of ownership over our data?
We know that Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube also collect extensive user data. This includes location, device identifiers, and behavioral patterns. In a 2020 investigation by the Washington Post, it was shown that at the time, TikTok did not take any more data than Facebook did.
My takeaway: TikTok doesn’t appear to grab any more personal information than Facebook. That’s still an appalling amount of data to mine about the lives of Americans. But there’s scant evidence that TikTok is sharing our data with China, and we should be wary of xenophobia dressed up as privacy concerns.
Patrick Jackson of Disconnect
While this could have very well changed in the meantime, all of the major social media platforms have come under legal scrutiny in the US, Europe, and various Asian countries for abusing user data.
TikTok’s biometric data collection (think voice, facial recognition, fingerprints, etc.) has been a focal point of criticism, but Facebook and some of Google‘s tools also leverage facial recognition and voice data for various purposes (not the least of which, feeding generative AI models). These US-based corporations also will lie about it. As this article is being written, Google/”Alphabet” is currently being sued by the State of Texas for unlawfully collecting biometric data.
South Korea’s government has an active fine against Meta for illegal data collection. A similar ruling in the EU last year fined Meta over 250 million euros.
In January 2025, a US federal judge ruled that Google must face a class-action lawsuit, alleging that the company collected personal data from users’ mobile devices, even after they disabled tracking features. Remember when they were collecting data in Incognito Mode?
All social media platforms are routinely accused of censorship, shadowbans, etc. A 2021 investigation by Citizen Lab showed that the TikTok content moderation algorithm in North America was not convincingly slanted in favor of Chinese policies.
Social media algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, often at the expense of user well-being. Facebook’s algorithm has been credibly accused of amplifying radical content to increase user activity.
YouTube’s recommendation system has come under fire for promoting extremist content through its autoplay feature.
Meta was found guilty of abusing user data with a malicious VPN in order to conduct corporate espionage against SnapChat. It even had the goofy codename, “Project Ghostbusters”.
And that’s all just the tip of the iceberg. I could talk about Amnesty International‘s colorful history of reporting on Meta and Google, as well. And I haven’t even started on Twitter. But I think you get the point.
The only saving grace, the only thing that I believe makes the US tech sector seem like less of a long-term threat to individual freedom might be the ability to take them to court. This is the fundamental difference between your data being held in a US, EU, or Chinese data center. There are laws in place that provide you with legal recourse, and the freedom of speech to complain about it.
That said, I’m watching the inauguration on the my other screen as I wrap this up. It’s looking like it might be a rough four years for challenging the tech oligarchs.

What’s Actually Behind The Ban?
US tech doesn’t want the heat. Underhanded in its behavior or not, TikTok is the first genuine competition US social media (and data collection) have faced. Strategic risks are largely just an excuse.
In many ways, TikTok serves as a convenient–or even ideal–scapegoat for broader failings in the regulation of social media and the systemic weaknesses of the US’ own tech sphere. TikTok‘s particular geopolitical context is simply… advantageous when amplifying its perceived risks to the press, or in the halls of power.
I think any honest analysis of these attempts to control TikTok show that they are more closely related to domestic politics, economic risks, and geopolitical considerations. After all, just look at how the last few days have shown that this issue is now just a political tennis ball:

Much like my position on the recent scrutiny against TP-Link, it’s my belief that the ban on TikTok, a successful “adversary-controlled” platform, is a cynical attempt by the US government to shield domestic tech giants from losing market share under the guise of security concerns.
The last half-decade of Silicon Valley gambling has concentrated all of its power in a handful of corporate entities who grow increasingly closer to the government. They all have far too much to lose if they cede the user data of 120 million American TikTok users to an actor out of US control.
The TikTok ban conveniently aligns with broader US, and to a lesser extent, European efforts to “de-couple” from Chinese technology. While I earnestly think this is a good move for data privacy–keeping user data in places that have some capacity for legal challenges–the recent attention seems coincidentally timed with warnings that have been sounded since 2023 that the US tech industry is eating itself due to over-investment in “Web 3” technologies (such as crypto, NFTs, metaverse, etc.) and Generative AI.
Don’t Forget About Gaza
I also wouldn’t want to downplay TikTok‘s perceived relationship to criticisms of US foreign policy. There is evidence suggesting that the US government’s push to ban TikTok was influenced, at least in part, by concerns over the platform’s role in disseminating pro-Palestinian content. In May 2024, Senator Mitt Romney and Congressman Mike Lawler indicated that the momentum for the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was partly due to TikTok‘s portrayal of the Israel–Hamas War. They believed that TikTok contributed to anti-Israel sentiment and escalated protests.
Speaking of Palestine, please consider:
CADUS, who specialize in medical aid and infrastructure.
World Central Kitchen, who specialize in feeding the displaced.
Want to help individuals, instead? Follow Molly Shah on Bluesky for vetted Palestinian accounts who could use your help.
As well, I’d be remiss to not mention two awesome videos that LegalEagle did on the specifics of the ban’s legality. This one is from the other day. This one is from eight months ago, but still establishes a lot of the context. I think the takeaways from them support a lot of the above points. His breakdowns and the sources he cites are worth your time.
Something’s Got To Give, But It Won’t
TikTok undeniably poses cybersecurity risks, and in no small part because of ByteDance‘s vulnerability to abuses by the Chinese government. However, these risks could be mitigated through some measures that are already in place in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, US Big Tech isn’t going to like it.
They’re called regulations.
The Republic of Korea’s PIPA
While the perceived “cyberwar” isn’t limited to the US and China, several US allies seem to be coexisting with TikTok, while maintaining generally more secure networks for their citizens. Weird.
The Republic of Korea, famous not-an-ally of China, has come a long way in privacy rights over the past decade. In 2023, the RoK government massively overhauled its individual data protections. It now has strict regulations under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA regulates the collection, use, and transfer of personal data. TikTok has been permitted to remain on the Korean app store, despite the RoK’s tech industry being viciously competitive with China’s.
It’s almost as if Korea’s admittedly also-controversial mega-corporations are confident in their ability to remain competitive.
Korea’s laws have been used to punish TikTok harshly when it falls short. ByteDance has incurred hundreds of millions in fines in South Korea for failing to properly protect minors’ data and mishandling user information.
The plot twist: the servers in these cases were found to be based in the United States and Singapore.
The European Union’s GDPR
More famously, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the world’s strictest privacy frameworks and is designed to enforce both private and public sector best cybersecurity practices. Its intention is to hold companies accountable for how they collect, process, and store user data. TikTok exists in the EU, but must comply with GDPR, since it has operations on the continent, and processes data from European citizens.
Measures codified in GDPR reduce the likelihood of misuse or overreach by platforms like TikTok. GDPR requires informed and explicit consent for data collection. Users always have the right to request their stored data, to have it deleted, and to be notified immediately of data breaches. GDPR isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty rad.
And US tech billionaires have been furious over it.
Through its practice of data minimization, GDPR requires companies to collect only the data necessary for specific purposes. It also can only be transferred to data centers in countries that the European Commission determines to be meeting GDPR standards, “The data protection must travel with the data.”
There is also a push for more data to remain within the EU, which seems like a solid way to prevent foreign surveillance, if that’s actually the government’s concern.
By the way, in 2020, the EU actually ruled that the US government and tech firms are too much of a data security risk.
Much of the US tech industry, and Social Media’s entire profit model, relies on data collection and surveillance practices that are completely illegal in Europe. GDPR-like laws would annihilate their revenue streams. And that’s the real reason why the US doesn’t have any substantive privacy laws, yet.
If the government was serious about the “threat” that TikTok posed, while wanting to maximize “freedom” or whatever, it would push for a USDPR. But it won’t. Which is telling.
If you want to look at some of the leading groups pushing for such a law, here are a few: the Future of Privacy Forum, Public Citizen, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center. There are others!
Implementing the GDPR’s basic privacy measures in the US, which Europeans have enjoyed for nearly a decade, would increase operational costs for US tech firms and also reduce waste. It would systemically address many of their stated concerns about foreign software developers, giving these foreign competitors space, and upping their competition.
As well, adopting these rules could pave the way for broader regulatory reforms, potentially curbing monopolistic practices and further limiting the influence of Big Tech.

We need a hero.
So, after reading all of that, do you still think this is just about security?
Debillionaire-ize
I didn’t want to leave you with an absolutely hopeless picture painted. I’m sure you probably already know where this is going.
While we might not be able to stop the Tech Oligarchs/Cloud Feudalists/Whatever you want to call them from ruining social media, we can leave them behind.
I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about the Fediverse, but I’m genuinely considering jumping ship. For now, I’ve stuck to Mastodon and Bluesky (which isn’t federated, but it’s at least better than Twitter). Millions flocked to Bluesky in Fall 2024 for similar reasons to my own. I’ve opted to host my own website, and trust my newsletter to a small EU-based scale-up, Steady.
For decades, tech enthusiasts have supported federated platforms because they don’t rely on VC-funded or oligarch-controlled networks. Cory Doctorow writes about how these platforms have always offered a viable alternative, here.
At the moment, these platforms face issues of user friendliness. There is also the drive for data ownership competing with the need to reach out to people where they are. For now, I’ve taken up a strategy of actively engaging on Bluesky and Mastodon, while automating posts on platforms I don’t want to support. What’s important to remember about these services, though, is that you have the ability to take your data with you, and plug into new communities that you find more appropriate. There is no Zuckerberg, no Bezos, no Musk who can decide to radically change your relationship with the internet on a whim. You can pick up your ball and play somewhere else without having to start over.

If you want some encouragement, The Incredible Hulk has joined forces with heavy hitters from The Mozilla Foundation and a number of other smart people in trying to bend Bluesky towards federation. Check out Free Our Feeds. I don’t know if they’ve got the juice to make it happen, but I definitely support the spirit of the cause.