On March 27, 2023, Rob Joyce, director of the Cyber Security Division of the US National Security Agency, stated in a policy discussion hosted by a think tank in Northern California that the popular short video sharing application TikTok is China’s ” The Trojan Horse, which poses a long-term “strategic” problem to the United States, is not necessarily an imminent “tactical” threat.
During the meeting, Rob Joyce reiterated the Office of Cyber Security’s existing position that the Chinese-owned social networking app is like a “loaded gun” that the Chinese government can use to influence what Americans see information. He said the U.S. government must monitor the behavior of ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to avoid a security incident in the next “five, 10 or 20 years.”
Joyce said in response to the reality that many Americans use TikTok: “Why do you bring a Trojan horse into the fortress?” He said that when the Chinese can manipulate the data that the American people see, the content that tears American society , or delete content that is not good for China and they don’t want to be exposed to Americans, why bring such capabilities to the United States? This, Joyce said, could unduly influence the political and social leanings of Americans.
China has previously posted a slew of anti-American content on topics including criticism of the U.S. government’s COVID-19 response, racial inequality, domestic divisions and inflation, among others. The most obvious example of diverting people’s attention from Beijing is the previous use of mass spam to try to cover up posts and news about China’s “white paper movement” protesting the closure of the city.
Joyce believes that TikTok may be taking a more covert approach than directly obtaining U.S. user data and monitoring users, that is, Beijing is willing to fight a protracted war and use information operations as an offensive cyber strategy.
U.S. politicians and cybersecurity experts have repeatedly expressed concern that TikTok’s Chinese parent company is too involved in the personal information of 150 million monthly active users in the United States, and believe that even if TikTok has taken measures to separate data, it is still not enough to stop Beijing authorities. snoop.
Joyce’s statement came as the new US national cybersecurity strategy described China as “the broadest, most active and persistent threat to government and private sector networks.”
On March 23, 2023, TikTok Chief Administrative Officer Zhou Shouzi testified on Capitol Hill. (Video screenshot)
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled last week at a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing as he tried to protect his company from a possible ban or feared the app could pose security concerns. was forced to sell.
Zhou Shouzi argued at the hearing that TikTok posed no greater risk than social media such as Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram, and claimed that due to long-standing skepticism, TikTok has taken more risks than any Western competitor. More protective measures.
However, many lawmakers present believed that Zhou Shouzi lied when he testified. House Speaker McKinsey said after the hearing that he will continue to advance the legislative process to ban TikTok in the United States.
(This article refers to reports from Reuters and Bloomberg.)