I have an issue with Ben's suggestion to ban TikTok that is based (partially) on the claim that nobody knows TikTok's algorithm and that this algorithm can be tweaked to promote Chinese propaganda and censor info that is negative about CCP.
Fact is: nobody knows algorithm of any Western or non-Western social network, news service or app either. So Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Fox News, CNN, Al Jazeera, RT, NYT, Breitbart, etc. can all promote whatever propaganda they want and censor info that they want. IMO banning TikTok is problematic for a number of reasons: 1. There are IMO way worse actors that are not banned. 2. It is a knee-jerk reaction against China. 3. Yes, this would make Western world look like China. And because of reasons 1 and 2, it would look like China is being singled out, when other bad (worse) actors get to continue operating 4. It would continue on the pretty slippery road of precedents of what is allowed/banned/controlled whether China-based or not. There's already questionable road and decisions of what Facebook/Twitter should show/ban/control/etc. both based on politics and on business demands. Banning TikTok would just add to that mess of contradictory demands and controls.
IMO, the more realistic and limited solution is to prevent TikTok from phoning home (slurping the data to China). This clearly can be done within GDPR+similar US laws. This does not prevent propaganda and censorship, but prevents info gathering. And IMO this is likely a bigger threat and also a threat that is easier to handle.