Joe Biden Joins TikTok, Could Raise US National Security Threats

Joe Biden campaigns to use TikTok which is prohibited for US officials (photo: x @potus)

JAKARTA - US President Joe Biden has been in the spotlight after his campaign to join TikTok just months after banning his staff from using the social media app. This move has drawn criticism for fear of opening the door for the Chinese government to spy on its presidential campaigns.

A cybersecurity expert told DailyMail.com that state-sponsored cyber attackers have the potential to steal data from a presidential campaign through a backdoor channel built by parent company TikTok.

However, Biden's campaign has not provided details on how they plan to prevent parent company TikTok from disclosing voter information to the Chinese government.

In June 2023, Biden banned nearly 4 million federal government employees from downloading the app on government-owned devices.

Politicians from both sides support the ban on the application due to concerns about data security.

TikTok is owned by Chinese companies ByteDance and Chinese laws requiring companies in the country to share user data with the government.

This is one of the main reasons for the Biden administration's ban on the app in federal agencies, with some exceptions to law enforcement and national security interests.

In addition, the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have warned that users' data on the application is vulnerable - including biometric information, location data, and browsing history.

In 2022, the company admits to spying on journalists through location data.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has faced a series of questions about the failure of tech companies to protect young social media users during a US Senate hearing in January.

However, Biden's campaign did not provide details about this strategy or clarify which devices would be included in the account. The campaign also did not explain whether the campaign data or voter data they would protect.

Experts have predicted that this election season will witness unprecedented levels of digital fraud, including deepfake videos and disinformation personalized by artificial intelligence.

Amid these concerns, Biden's campaign move drew criticism from various parties.

Previously, ByteDance had faced problems due to improper data usage, including a fine of USD 368 million (IDR 5.7 trillion) from the European Union in September.

Most Americans see TikTok as a major or small threat to national security, according to the Pew Research Center poll.

In a press conference, a spokesman for the National Security Council stated that the policy to ban the use of TikTok on government devices still applies.

All of this shows that despite Biden's campaign to join TikTok, national security concerns remain and remain unresolved.