As I’m writing this, the US is set to ban applications that access TikTok’s Internet service on January 19. What no one is talking about is the security nightmare that will result.
The ban won’t forbid access to TikTok; it will just forbid the preferred way to access it. App stores in the US won’t be allowed to offer the client application. Lots of other sources will still offer it. Some will be legitimate. Others will put up Trojan Horse applications. Scammers will target users trying to keep access to their accounts. A lot of devices will be infiltrated with malware.
People who have the app will (I think) stop getting security updates. If any security holes turn up (and they always do), users in the USA will be stuck with the unpatched version and will be vulnerable to attacks.
Just to be clear, I don’t like TikTok and won’t use it. Its Chinese ownership is a real concern. In 2020, Zoom was caught blocking access and suspending Chinese dissidents’ accounts at the behest of China’s government. Zoom in the US is now a separate business entity, so hopefully such events haven’t recurred. However, prohibition is a bad solution. It won’t stop people from using TikTok; it will only push them into more dangerous ways of accessing it.
It’s like prohibition a century ago. People getting drunk and causing damage is a real problem, but the solution of banning alcoholic beverages only meant that people went to lawbreakers to get them. It was a huge win for criminals, who often didn’t just sell illegal booze but committed violent acts. The TikTok ban isn’t likely to lead to machine-gun massacres, but it will cause a security mess worse than the “national security” issues it claims to address. (And if TikTok is a threat to national security, why are Biden and Trump using it?)
The lack of discussion is bizarre. I’ve tried several Web searches and found hardly anything talking about the security consequences of the ban.
What’s the best way for users to deal with what’s coming? My recommendation is to do what people have done in the Twitter exodus. Remove as much personal information as possible from your account. Make sure your password is strong. Set up two-step verification if you haven’t already. But don’t terminate your account; that could let an impersonator take your place. TikTok offers a “deactivate” option that lets you keep ownership. Deactivate your account while you still can. It just isn’t worth the fight to stay on TikTok, though it’s worth the fight to stop the government from banning access.
As for the app, I’d say to keep it but turn off all its permissions and stop using it.
Using a VPN may let you get around the ban. I don’t know enough to offer advice about that option. A PC World article discusses the possibility in detail.
The TikTok-ing time bomb goes off on January 19, unless the Supreme Court stops it, and no one knows how the Trump administration will handle it. Be prepared.