> speculative claims of being an intelligence threat are a bad idea and would set a terrible precedent
I agree with that statement, but one must admit there's some hypocrisy on the part of China, given they have blanket bans on YouTube and Instagram which provide their own competing offerings. If China lifted those bans there could be no claims about TikTok enabling some asymmetric advantage in espionage or propaganda, and if they don't, China can't claim the US is doing anything they aren't already.
I agree with that statement, but one must admit there's some hypocrisy on the part of China, given they have blanket bans on YouTube and Instagram which provide their own competing offerings. If China lifted those bans there could be no claims about TikTok enabling some asymmetric advantage in espionage or propaganda, and if they don't, China can't claim the US is doing anything they aren't already.