The fate of TikTok has become a new front in the rivalry between China and the United States, writes Dimitar Lilkov. But regardless of how the saga ends, the EU must be ready to step in and protect its own citizens.
In a way, it had to come to this. For years, the TikTok saga has escalated in the United States, as several legislative initiatives tried to block the video sharing app, while Donald Trump attempted to directly ban it back in 2020. Regardless of who has been in the White House, there has been bipartisan laser focus on curtailing Beijing’s capabilities for technological advancement and international reach.
Initially, the United States mounted a concentrated pressure campaign on the hardware front. First, it completely cut off essential technological supplies to Chinese telecom company ZTE, that almost led to its bankruptcy. In the meantime, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went on a global crusade against Chinese national champion Huawei and the penetration of its telecommunications equipment into critical infrastructure of its international allies. Most recently, the Biden administration put in force draconian export controls that restricted China’s access to cutting-edge semiconductors and advanced manufacturing equipment.
The latest escalation against TikTok means that the US is now ready for a hot war against a foreign billion-user social media entity, which reportedly hosts approximately 170 million American users. This direct clash opens a new front in the ongoing US-China confrontation and creates an additional source of tension for the transatlantic alliance.
Divest or perish
As it stands, the US Congress is determined that a ban of TikTok for American users is justified as the company failed to change its ownership as required by an Act of Congress. For years, the Chinese company has been under suspicion for deliberate surveillance of western journalists and mishandling personal data that was siphoned to Chinese servers.
What makes matters worse is mounting evidence that the social media platform is used as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party through amplifying or downgrading certain political issues. Just days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, TikTok walled off its Russian service from the rest of the world, leaving Russian users in the echo chamber of Kremlin propaganda.
More recently, the Chinese company has been under official investigation for allowing Russian interference in the 2024 Romanian presidential elections. Journalistic investigations have also showcased just how quickly the TikTok algorithm can pinpoint users’ moods, beliefs and preferences, leading them down a rabbit hole of self-harm and depression. Moreover, the platform has been used to accelerate propaganda against western governments, becoming one of the main outlets fostering distrust toward democracy.
What makes the case unique is that TikTok is not just a private company. The public communications of its owner (Byte Dance) regarding a potential sale, as well as the messaging coming from Beijing officials, show that any decision about changing TikTok’s ownership can only come from the Chinese government.
What comes next?
The US legislative and judiciary are confronted with the new Trump administration. Technically speaking, the Chinese company continues to violate an active Act of Congress. However, the new US President has issued an executive order to extend the deadline for enforcement (even though the conditions are still not met). The narrative about “saving” TikTok is misleading, as the app will either be completely banned within the US jurisdiction or resold to a different owner.
Interestingly, there is already a precedent with the forced sale of the dating app “Grindr”. In 2019, the US Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) ordered the forced sale of the company after evidence that Beijing-based engineers had access to US users’ personal correspondence and health records. This time, the stakes are higher as TikTok has an evaluation in the tens of billions and its algorithm alone is a prized possession that the Chinese government does not want to relinquish easily.
Should a full ban go through, this would be a windfall for US tech platforms. In 2020, India blocked TikTok along with 50 other online applications under national security provisions. As a result, most Indian users flocked to Instagram and YouTube shorts. This reminds us that no app is irreplaceable but also that the oligopoly of a few California-based digital giants is only expanding internationally.
EU optics
Irrespective of the final outcome in the US, the European Union should commit to limiting the operations of TikTok in Europe. In Brussels, there is a fascination with Twitter/X due to the personified clash with owner Elon Musk. However, far less attention is given to TikTok and its approximately 150 million European users, most of whom are teens.
The Romanian election is a clear case of how the Chinese company can artificially shift attention and engagement to compromise an electoral process. The damage is double as the platform has extremely high reach and acts as a direct news outlet for European youth.
European governments and security services have confirmed the vulnerabilities of the TikTok app, while the European institutions have prohibited its staff from using the application. And yet, very few countries have taken more strict measures. Albania was the first European country to openly limit its operations due to national security and public safety considerations. For a short time, France also completely banned TikTok in New Caledonia as the app was weaponised to escalate a local crisis.
The rest of the EU should follow, either by enforcing the Digital Services Act or through national courts. It is vital to publicly challenge this active influence operation happening within Europe’s borders. After all, this would be merely an act of reciprocity as the People’s Republic of China has for decades banned hundreds of US/European applications and social media platforms.
All of this does not mean that Brussels should allow the US big tech oligopoly to continue to exploit European user data and profit from their ubiquitous surveillance regime. The EU has its own legal framework on digital governance and personal freedoms which shouldn’t be compromised.
Indeed, the EU market, with its close to 500 million citizens, is one of the main sources of revenue for American tech companies. There is huge potential for active leverage should the EU act collectively. European interests demand that EU member states push for an improved data sharing regime with the US and enforce existing European privacy, anti-trust and competition law.
Protecting European hearts and minds
The EU needs to face the facts. American or Chinese, Instagram or TikTok, almost every European user is locked into monopolistic social media networks that can be actively manipulated and erode the well-being of young users. It is no surprise that “brain rot” became Oxford word of the year in 2024. The extent of social media harm has reached such a level that certain app usage is already considered to be as harmful as tobacco. And yet, we still expose minors and teens to never-ending drivel, manipulation and race to the bottom content.
Social media app usage for Europeans under the age of 18, or at least 16, should be heavily restricted, while online platforms should be forced to have adequate and secure age verification regimes. This is a sensitive debate that must be carefully and consistently carried out across European society. It has already started at the local level. From elitist Eton in the UK, to township schools in Belgium, educational institutions are restricting phone usage during schooltime.
We are already seeing signs of a lost generation, with our teens and adolescents exhibiting alienation, anxiety and political frustration. The EU needs to prioritise their well-being and openly label these social media products as heavily addictive. It also needs to prepare for active economic warfare on the digital front and escalating foreign influence campaigns targeting societal stability in Europe. For better or worse, the EU is being drawn into the international app and tech wars. It must rise to the challenge.
Note: This article gives the views of the author, not the position of EUROPP – European Politics and Policy or the London School of Economics. Featured image credit: FellowNeko / Shutterstock.com
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