Beyond TikTok, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has outlined Trump administration guidance to tech companies to purge all “untrusted” Chinese technology from their networks. The announcement highlights the administration’s desire for U.S. tech to create a “clean network” that will allay fears of Chinese intelligence operations penetrating into Americans’ personal data. The call to action comes amidst global scrutiny of Chinese technology, including 5G networks, as well as social media providers.
Pompeo further noted protecting intellectual property as well as countering Chinese censorship policies as key drivers of the administration’s “Clean Network” initiative. Additionally, Pompeo has called upon U.S. “allies and partners in government and industry around the world to join the growing tide to secure our data…” The hypothetical clean network is described as a fortress, a digital fortress that will secure national security interests, though it is likely that economic interests are at play as well.
As CNN Business reports, Chinese officials are deeply opposed to the Trump administration’s calls for a global level attack on their tech sector. A government spokesperson issued a statement claiming that “[The Trump administration’s] actions have no factual basis, it’s just smearing and political manipulation aimed to maintain the U.S. monopoly in high-tech.” TikTok’s leadership has issued similar criticisms, claiming that U.S. actions against it have no legal basis and that they are “unreasonable”.
Trusted Networks Or Dirty Business Politics?
The Chinese companies targeted in the U.S. and elsewhere, such as Huawei in the U.K., believe that claims that they present security vulnerabilities are unfounded. Some within Chinese politics have described the current pressure for TikTok to sell a significant portion of its operations as a high level mafioso heist—grand theft TikTok. Trump has even gone so far as to claim that the U.S. treasury must receive a cut of the deal, playing into Chinese claims that this is not an ordinary manifestation of national security interest, and that other interests motivate the administration’s behavior toward Chinese technology providers.
That said, Chinese surveillance operations are real. They have been found to operate within various technology platforms without clear tethers to the Chinese state, including LinkedIn – as reported by the New York Times. Thus, the global anxieties about what is happening under the surface of technology with clear linkages to the Chinese state hold some water and likely overlap with other economic and geopolitical interests within the U.S., and amongst its ideologically aligned allies in government and beyond.
Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok, some countries have prohibited Huawei 5G hardware, and bans against TikTok and other Chinese technologies have taken place within other countries as well. This call to develop a global response to concerns about Chinese penetration with economic and national security consequences comes at a time when China is vying to expand its presence in high-tech in ways that could solidify future strategic advantages with military implications. The U.S. call to unite allies builds upon historical precedents in international cooperation, though the U.S. is likely to play a role coordinating as a vital member of an informal agreement, rather than as a dominant controller as the ongoing conflict continues to unfold with regard to TikTok and beyond.
Source: CNN Business