of an iPhone in front of a US flag and Chinese flag background in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2023. China urged the United States to stop"unreasonably suppressing" TikTok on March 16, 2023, after Washington gave the popular video-sharing app an ultimatum to part ways with its Chinese owners or face a nationwide ban. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a bill that will force either the sale or shutdown of TikTok over national security concerns.
Obviously, Facebook has long been prohibited by the Chinese government, so there is precedent, but the effect of such restrictions on the value of TikTok must be considered. And what aboutFrom a national security perspective, even if it is sold, can we ever fully trust that an American TikTok would truly be secure, without backdoors or other means of the Chinese continuing to harvest data from it?
Take the current race to perfect and deploy AI tools. AI will be a huge economic engine, improving productivity and enhancing margins. At the same time, it can be potentially very harmful if it is developed or deployed unethically or without regard for how its disruptions will impact real people and workers.