Fellow journalists who spoke with TikTok press told me that company representatives open my emails asking for comment with trepidation. One journalist said that a representative told them that I would definitely ask them to comment on an internal policy, a leaked document, or a new feature they didn't even know existed. And now I'm working on more complex stories about the platform. (If you have any advice please contact me for my signal number.)
But these complicated stories won't focus on the company's sharing of data with Chinese authorities or the security risks associated with its ties to the Chinese state. Because I haven't found any evidence of either. I really want to find that connection because, like any journalist, I am selfish and want to be the one to tell a story like this. I have been trying to find any connections with the Chinese state for many years now. I talked to a lot of TikTok employees, past and present, looking for that connection. But I didn't find this.
I can't say that this link doesn't exist. But I can say that I and other more talented journalists are destroying the TikTok building. Now we know that the company has spied on journalists and has workplace harassment issues. TikTok's finances are constantly leaking. But none of us found the smoking gun. And I don't think my fellow reporters are any less eager to find him than I am.
We are in a strange political position. Donald Trump's legacy lives on in that we have our own fictions that we fiercely believe are facts, or that we repeat so often that we forget the truth. Among these fictions: TikTok is a proven risk. TikTok is a puppet of the Chinese state. TikTok is a Trojan horse waiting to be unleashed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to overthrow the West.
Trump launched a series of online advertising in 2020, saying “TikTok is spying on you.” It's a sentiment echoed by other politicians, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who is concerned about TikTok's ties to China.
None of this is true. At least as far as I can tell. However, when you hear politicians on both sides talk about it, it is a verifiable fact. And they want the app to be blocked because of this.
These American politicians are taking a curiously Chinese approach: repress and censor for the sake of harmony, rather than allowing free enterprise on the part of a company that has shown it is willing to do whatever it takes to try to address concerns and has made a good faith effort to address problems as they arise.
We'll likely see a lot of heat and not a lot of light at Thursday's congressional hearing. There will be the usual protests from TikTok that it has no ties to the Chinese government, as well as the usual claims from politicians that TikTok's response isn't good enough. But for the sake of 150 million Americans Now, using the app, we have to hope that TikTok replies will be enough.
