There are a lot of harsh criticisms of Governor Greg Gianforte and I agree with almost every single one of them. I don’t mind telling you that I take great exception to his stances on environment, housing, welfare, journalism, and Donald Trump - just to name a few.
But while many of my contemporaries in journalism have been quick to insult his banning of TikTok, I won’t be joining them.
Gianforte made millions as a California tech investor before becoming a Montana politician and as such, I do believe that he knows something about technology.
When he claims that the creators of TikTok are using the app to steal private data from America’s phones, I’m inclined to listen. As far as I know there isn’t any concrete evidence that the Chinese government is collecting sensitive data through TikTok, but it’s been discussed in tech circles for years.
Three years ago the US military banned the app from phones being used by top officials over potential security concerns. I asked some friends of mine, who are app developers, if there was a chance that TikTok could be used to dig through data on a person’s phone.
The answer was “yes.” It is absolutely possible. The odds of the Chinese government investing the time and effort to dig through the phones of the average Montanan are pretty low but Gianforte’s new bill is an effort to erase any future opportunity.
There are problems of course, the precedent this sets is kind of odd. The idea that the government, our government, can tell us how to use our personal data is troubling and the idea of our government fighting for territory on our own personal devices is alarming.
I’m not sure how enforceable this rule will be, or how it applies to people with non-Montana numbers living in Montana (such as myself and thousands of others) but all logistics aside, I think this is one thing we should listen to Gianforte about, even if it’s the only thing.
Reader Comments(0)