With the specter of a US ban looming, TikTok is trying to underline its worth to the US financial system, by way of a brand new initiative by way of which the platform will spotlight how SMBs are utilizing the app to attach with their prospects, and the group, to construct their enterprise.

The brand new ‘TikTok Sparks Good’ docu-series will share a variety of quick tales ‘that commemorate the various and inspirational creator success that transcend past TikTok to create actual life change’. 

Which, ostensibly, celebrates these creators and the successes that they’re seeing within the app. Nevertheless it’s additionally a reasonably clear automobile by way of which to probably sway to US regulators who could also be contemplating whether or not to ban the app.

And TikTok’s laying it on fairly thick:

“TikTok is a spot the place Individuals can rework not solely their very own lives, however the lives of others. From first technology kids saving their father or mother’s small companies to creators rallying the group to help our veterans, TikTok is the place anybody can construct group, join, educate, and create financial alternative. We’re amazed by the ability of the TikTok group and the way it makes the platform a catalyst for good.”

I imply, that’s not not true, however on the identical time, TikTok has additionally been the supply of a variety of dangerous developments, damaging psychological impacts for teenagers, exploitation, misinformation, and so forth.

Whether or not the platform is a internet optimistic or damaging just isn’t totally clear – whereas that query inside itself isn’t a part of the evaluation as as to if TikTok ought to be allowed to proceed working within the US both method.

That comes right down to the app’s hyperlinks to China, and the provisions with China’s cybersecurity legal guidelines which stipulate that Chinese language-owned companies should share consumer information with the CCP on request.

There’s nothing to counsel that the CCP has requested equivalent to but, nor that TikTok has supplied it. However the concern is that TikTok might be used as a device for spying on US residents, by utilizing TikTok information to trace their actions, or glean private details about customers with a view to use that as leverage.

For essentially the most half, that will seem to be a lesser concern – why would the Chinese language Authorities need to goal individuals based mostly on their hokey TikTok clips?

However it may be an issue.

Late final yr, it was revealed that representatives from TikTok’s father or mother firm ByteDance had used TikTok information to monitor the actions of US journalists, in a bid to find which ByteDance workers could also be leaking information to the press.

As reported by The Monetary Occasions:

“Over the summer season, 4 workers on the ByteDance inner audit workforce appeared into the sharing of inner info to journalists. Two members of employees within the US and two in China gained entry to the IP addresses and different private information of FT journalist Cristina Criddle, to work out if she was within the proximity of any ByteDance workers, the corporate mentioned.”

That is the important thing concern across the misuse of TikTok information, and on this context, the rising bans of the app on government-owned units is smart, as that might be used as a vector to trace individuals’s actions, and monitor who they’re assembly with.

For presidency workers, who could also be in possession of delicate info, there’s a transparent danger right here. So whereas it could not seem to be a serious concern to the on a regular basis TikTok consumer who’s posting random jokes and dance clips, there’s a extra sinister component, which might be of concern, particularly amid rising tensions between China and varied different nations.

So whereas TikTok is doing all that it may well to focus on its worth, it’s truly extra of an apart, and probably not related to the main focus of the broader ban discussions.

However that does seem to be the main focus right here. And whereas it’s fascinating to notice the assorted methods wherein TikTok has helped these SMBs, it appears pretty clear what the intention is on this respect.

Both method, you may tune into the brand new ‘TikTok Sparks Good’ tales right here, which might encourage you to help these companies, or offer you new concepts to your personal TikTok promotion efforts.