TikTok ban reveals US' paranoia

It is not surprising that the White House ordered government agencies to remove TikTok, an overseas version of the Chinese video-sharing app that allows users to create and share short videos on any topic, from federal devices and systems within 30 days starting Monday.

In fact the US Congress passed the "No TikTok on Government Devices Act" in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The White House's announcement is just another attempt at tarnishing the popular Chinese app's image.

It is ironic that a social media platform that is popular among teenagers in the United States for sharing creative and interesting ideas has become a new cause of Sinophobia for the world's only superpower.

It is the US that was spying on world leaders and launching cyber-attacks on government agencies it saw as opponents, as revealed in the PRISM scandal that National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed.

Apart from trampling on people's right to enjoy social media and hurting millions of users' freedom of expression this way, Washington's uncalled for paranoid attack on TikTok will take it nowhere. Who would be stupid enough to believe the US' so-called defense of free speech and democracy after the way it is attacking China? Who would be naive enough to buy Washington's word when it accuses China of trampling on freedom and human rights?

This obsession with kicking TikTok out just because it is made by a Chinese company will only lead to the US losing ground on whatever it claims to be holding on to as its core values.

Obviously, the US can address alleged security concerns by working with TikTok and ensuring that user data is stored securely and that there is transparency about how American users' data is collected and used if it is as concerned as it claims. There are millions of ways of solving the problem, but, it seems the US is only concerned with banning the platform altogether and kicking it out on the pretext of "national security".

Washington is increasingly behaving like a frightened child who is not letting go of any opportunity to craft a publicity stunt to "defend" its "security". The world expects more from an established hegemony, aside from throwing temper tantrums and finding fault with whoever doesn't do what it wants.

Even if it gets rid of TikTok, it cannot live in a world where there are no Chinese-made products. For its own mental health and long-term prosperity, Washington should find a way to be less paranoid about Chinese products, sooner rather than later.

The author is a writer with China Daily.