As the United States bans TikTok and the former Treasury Secretary plans to buy it, in Italy, the Antitrust fines TikTok 10 million euros. Meanwhile, Americans accuse China of similar practices.
The US House of Representatives, with a bipartisan vote, wants Byte Dance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to sell the app to an American company. They fear China’s access to the data of 170 million Americans through the app, potentially allowing China to influence them.
Interestingly, what the US fears from the Chinese app is exactly what they’ve been doing with their Facebook and similar platforms for years, where user data is stored on American servers accessible to various US agencies.
A Chinese minister likened the US to someone who, after conceding a goal, acts as the referee and disqualifies their opponent, in this case, in the realm of free and competitive markets.
THE ANTITRUST FINE
Meanwhile, the Italian Antitrust fined TikTok 10 million euros for not adequately protecting minors. The issue mainly concerns the spread of content that could endanger users’ psychological and physical safety, systematically shown to users through algorithmic profiling.
As for the game being played across the ocean, Italians and Europeans can only watch from two perspectives:
- The reaction of American TikTokers, deprived of their platform and income as influencers.
- The embarrassment of our governments, especially nationalist ones, in accepting that our data resides under US jurisdiction.
THE SMURFS’ REVOLT
Rumors circulate that former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, now leading a private investment fund, is working to buy TikTok. The current CEO, Shou Chew, appealed to users, warning that the law might empower a small group of other social media companies, risking 300,000 jobs in the US.
This situation echoes Italy in 1984 when Mediaset broadcasts were suspended because the law prohibited private companies from national broadcasts. Viewers reacted strongly, reminiscent of the “Smurfs’ Revolt,” named for children upset over losing their favorite cartoon. This pressure led to a swift change in the law, allowing what was previously forbidden, and the media duopoly thrived.
ACQUIESCENT GOVERNMENTS
Regarding our governments (referring to the European Union), they recently renewed an agreement with the US, allowing data from Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc., to remain on American servers, despite concerns over sovereignty raised by the European Court of Justice. The European Council, comprising governments, hesitates to challenge US power over data.
AMERICAN INTERESTS
This situation reveals a flaw in American soft power, which historically relied on fair competition. There’s concern that US allies’ national security interests may not align with ours, potentially leaving us vulnerable in the future.
