Expert opinion from Constantin Pavléas, lawyer specializing in technology law, founder and director of the firm Pavléas Avocats and head of teaching at the School of Applied Law Studies (HEAD).
Is TikTok a Trojan horse at the service of the Chinese authorities? Does the Chinese platform allow the massive capture of personal data from Internet users, and is it used to influence or even manipulate the young Western generations?
It is important to distinguish national security issues, which are the prerogative of each government, from those concerning the protection of personal data, the fight against disinformation and the manipulation of opinion and behavior, which must come under a regulatory and democratic control.
Suspecting the Chinese authorities of spying through TikTok, the White House has ordered federal institutions to ensure that TikTok disappears from their smartphones…
