The Problem the US TikTok Crackdown and Kaspersky Ban Have in Common
Summary
On July 20, the United States Commerce Department will ban new sales of popular antivirus software made by Moscow-based Kaspersky Labs. The move comes just two months after US president Joe Biden signed a law that will effectively ban the social media app TikTok in the US if its Chinese parent company doesnt sell it off. “The risks to US national security addressed in this Final Determination stem not from whether Kasperskys products are effective at identifying viruses and other malware, but whether they can be used strategically to cause harm to the United States,” the Department of Commerce wrote last week. Kaspersky, naturally, countered that it believes the Commerce Department “made its decision based on the present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns, rather than on a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services.” The company added that “Kaspersky does not engage in activities which threaten US national security and, in fact, has made significant contributions with its reporting and protection from a variety of threat actors that targeted U.S. interests and allies.” TikTok, meanwhile, has sued the US government, claiming that the potential ban of its app violates the First Amendment. Where TikToks software is contained by the mobile operating systems it runs in, scanners like Kaspersky are given free rein by design, adding to cybersecurity concerns.