The TikTok debacle: Distinguishing between foreign influence and interference

Washington is afraid of TikTok. More precisely, it is afraid of Beijing's influence over TikTok via the platform's China-based parent company ByteDance. Critics allege TikTok, where a third of U.S. adults under 30 get their news, is used to "silence free speech," "undermine democracy," and "promote propaganda." Through China's National Intelligence Law, ByteDance could gain access to the personal data of its 170 million U.S. users. These fears drove President Joe Biden to sign into law a bill forcing TikTok to find a new owner in one year or be banned in the United States.