A hot potato: Joining the list of people who support the US government's attempt to force ByteDance into diversifying TikTok is Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla. The OpenAI backer didn't hold back when talking about the popular short-form video platform, noting that it could be weaponized by a foreign adversary. He also called the app programmable fentanyl whose effects are under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In an op-ed piece for the Financial Times, Khosla wrote that while many in Silicon Valley are opposed to the government's bill that will force ByteDance to sell TikTok, he staunchly supports it.
Khosla writes that neither himself nor his companies stand to gain or lose anything based on the outcome of the bill, but he believes it will prevent a foreign adversary, i.e., China, from controlling a platform to deploy "persuasive AI." The billionaire says this could be used to surreptitiously manipulate US citizens, compromise elections, push divisive content, and otherwise promote the objectives of the CCP.
Khosla notes that the Chinese government placed the TikTok algorithm on a restricted list of technologies in 2020 that prevents its export without government approval. He says it's why China will refuse to divest the app if the bill becomes law. This will lead to it being blocked on US app stores and web hosting platforms, and could even see ISPs blocking traffic to TikTok, and social networks being forced to stop videos from the app from being shared.
While a full-on ban sounds extreme, Khosla's belief that the Chinese government will hold tightly to TikTok is shared by former White House Chief Information Officer (CIO) Theresa Payton. She warns that US tech firms should prepare for a ban for this very reason.
Khosla points out that the US banned Huawei routers in telecoms networks over surveillance fears, so it stands to reason that TikTok should face the same consequences. As for the Free Speech argument, he says that the legislation targets TikTok's owners; it doesn't censor the app's content.
There's also the claim that the worst elements of using TikTok – potential addiction among young people – are absent in China. Chinese users aged 14 and younger can only use the country's version of the app, Douyin, for 40 minutes per day.
"Spinach for Chinese kids, fentanyl – another chief export of China's – for ours," Khosla said. "Worse still, TikTok is a programmable fentanyl whose effects are under the control of the CCP."
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would also force other foreign-owned social media platforms to be sold if they are deemed a threat to national security.
Someone who isn't a fan of a potential ban is Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. He says he doesn't understand it and called the US government hypocritical for targeting just one social media platform for tracking users when they all do it.
President Biden gave his blessing to the bill a few days after it was passed by Congress last month. However, the bill is facing delays in the Senate.