TikTok, the social media app run by Chinese company ByteDance, is already in the crosshairs of Republicans across the nation, seeking to either ban it, scrutinize it, or nationalize it. However, TikTok is not the only Chinese app present in Americans’s cell phones, according to CNBC reports. ByteDance is already rolling out more apps with questionable data policies, such as Lemon8, its Instagram/Pinterest competitor.
Another area where Chinese apps are growing is the e-commerce world. Temu and Shein, both apps originating in China, are ranked #1 and #2 on the App Store’s shopping category and #2 and #11 in the overall category. These two shopping experiences boast incredibly low prices due to the merchandise being made in China and selling directly to American consumers. However, they have a highly algorithmic layout similar to TikTok’s, providing a never ending scrolling experience for customers.
A senior think tank official, Lindsay Gorman, compared TikTok’s importance and spread through American society to a power grid. Should China decide to weaponize the apps that it indirectly controls, such as spreading more overt propaganda, America would have a serious problem on its hands. The RESTRICT Act, sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans, would enable the executive branch to ban apps from foreign adversaries if they cannot be properly mitigated, but some critics see it as too broad.
