Cincinnati Edition: U.S. joins a growing number of governments moving toward banning TikTok
UC cyber security expert Richard Harknett speaks to data collection and privacy issues with TikTok
TikTok, a Chinese owned company, is among the most popular social media platforms in the U.S., but security concerns have government officials considering actions that range from an outright ban of the platform to establishing a U.S. product to take away the threat.
“It’s going to be a really interesting challenge to do this legally and also socially,” UC cyber security expert Richard Harknett remarked in a discussion on "Cincinnati Edition" about TikTok, considered by some to be a national security threat.
Harknett, a professor who directs UC’s School of Public and International Affairs, was a guest speaker with Dave Hatter, cyber security consultant with, intrustIT.
The discussion occurred around the same time that TikTok’s CEO was being questioned by the U.S. congress regarding the aggregation of user data, which is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
“Imagine if I had 150 million people who I plugged into at the individual level a listening device – why wouldn’t I use that to advance my vision of the way the world should work; and the Chinese Communist Party has a very different vision of how the world should work,” Harknett queried the audience.
Both he and Hatter agreed that there needs to be some type of intervention to protect users and to protect the country.
“This thing is just too invasive and too non-transparent to leave it as is,” stated Harknett.
Featured image at top of Richard Harknett. Photo/Lisa Ventre/UC Marketing + Brand.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.