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US adopts blinkered view of TikTok
A Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday focused on discussions about the significant risks that short-form social video app TikTok could pose to US national security and citizens' privacy.
美国参议院星期二举行听证会，重点讨论了抖音国际版TikTok对美国国家安全和公民隐私的重大风险。
The accusations about TikTok are based on the assumption that its parent company ByteDance may hand over personal information of the app's US users to the Chinese government, thus posing huge risks to users and the country. In addition, there are also claims that TikTok censors content. TikTok denies both charges.
目前所有对TikTok的指控都是基于一种假设，那就是它的母公司字节跳动有可能把TikTok美国使用者的个人信息交给中国政府，从而带来针对那些用户和美国国家的巨大风险。除此之外，还有指控说TikTok对该应用程序上的信息搞政治审查。TikTok对这两类指控都断然予以否认。
TikTok runs its business according to US law, so how can it threaten US national security? Many people believe that the US is using this as an excuse to crack down on this globally successful Chinese social media app. To date, all popular social media platforms have been created by US companies, but TikTok is an exception. It challenges their monopoly and some American elites are uncomfortable about it.
TikTok按照美国法律进行经营，能够威胁到美国的国家安全？相信有无数人对这一指控的第一反应是，美国在以此为借口打击中国公司正成功推向全球的这款社交应用程序。迄今为止能够风靡全球的社交媒体全是美国公司创立的，TikTok成为了打破这种垄断的第一个例外，一些美国精英对此很不舒服。
Over the past 12 months, TikTok's app has been downloaded more than 750 million times, compared with 715 million for Facebook, 450 million for Instagram and 300 million for YouTube. Its success has even worried Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and now Facebook is developing a short video sharing application that mimics TikTok.
在过去12个月里，TikTok在全球被下载超过7.5亿次，脸书是7.15亿次，Instagram是4.5亿次，YouTube是3亿次。TikTok的这一成绩让脸书CEO扎克伯格都有了某种危机感，去年脸书就开发了一款模仿TikTok的短视频应用软件。
It's not a good trait for the US to suppress competitors of American companies by political means. Washington has taken extreme measures against Huawei, such as cutting off the supply of some components, a move that cracks down on competitors at the expense of hurting domestic companies. There are signs that TikTok is the next target. What the US is doing is driven by extreme protectionism and runs counter to a free market economy.
通过政治手段打压美国公司的竞争对手，这真不是好习惯。美国已经对华为采取了断供零部件这样的极端措施，不惜以自伤本国企业的方式打击竞争者。现在又露出要搞TikTok的苗头，这是非常极端的保护主义，美国这样做是直接给自由市场经济捅刀子。
Washington elites should think about that. US-developed social networking sites are popular around the world. Any country can use the same concerns US lawmakers have about TikTok to target Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Without any evidence, if every country conjured up risks to challenge those companies, would the world ever be able to share common applications? If such national security principles were to be promoted globally, US internet giants would suffer the most.
华盛顿的精英们需要想一想，美国的社交网站风行全球，美国议员们对TikTok的发难可以被任何国家用来针对美国的脸书、推特和Instagram。在没有任何证据的情况下，如果世界各国都用想象中的风险刁难那些网站，那么这个世界还会有共同的应用程序吗？如果把这样的国家安全原则在全球推广，最终损失最大的无疑将是美国互联网巨头们。
The US internet market is becoming solidified. Americans are supposed to welcome competition from TikTok. China's internet market has changed tremendously in recent years with JD challenging the dominance of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, followed by the rise of strong players such as TikTok and PDD, which boost the dynamics of the Chinese internet market. The US shouldn't suppress competition and encourage idleness.
另外我们注意到，美国的互联网格局有固化之势，美国人应当欢迎TikTok带来的新竞争。中国的互联网格局最近几年变化很大，先是有京东冲击BAT格局，随后抖音和拼多多又强势崛起。中国的互联网市场呈现出更活跃的内在动力，美国不应该抑制竞争，鼓励惰性。
Despite being the strongest country in the world, the US often accuses others of being national security risks. It uses political means to safeguard its existing interests when its technology falls short. But this approach will affect how Americans view modern competition and how American society participates in international competition. In the long run, some American companies may use dishonest practices, not better technology and innovation, in the international marketplace.
就美国最强大，也就美国天天喊国家安全，其实根子上是要维护既得利益，技术上力量不够，就上政治手段。这会影响美国人对现代竞争的认知，也会带偏美国社会参与国际竞争的整体态度。长此下去，一些美国公司可能会在国际竞争中更多琢磨邪门歪道，而不是全力用更叫绝的技术和创意保持领先。
The US should carefully study the TikTok phenomenon and learn from it. TikTok has its own algorithm, but it pays close attention to abiding by laws and customs of the countries where it is carrying out business activities. When in Rome, do as the Romans do - this is a universal rule for business activities. All US social media giants have the opportunity to enter the Chinese market if they follow that rule.
三人行必有我师，其实TikTok现象值得美国人认真加以审视，乃至借鉴，TikTok有自己的推送算法，同时它又奉行入境随俗原则，非常注意遵守业务开展国家的法律和习俗。这本来就是商业活动的普世原则。美国的社交媒体巨头都有机会进入中国，但它们就是过不了“入境随俗”这一关，它们犯了商业的大忌而不自知。
We hope the US won't go to extremes. Being open is where US interests lie. Even if they have worries about TikTok, they must exercise restraint. Many people are worried that the US might monitor them through various means every day, but they are restrained and rational. The US has no reason not to do likewise.
我们希望美国国会和行政当局不要走向容不下TikTok的极端，美国需要是开放的，这是它自己的根本利益所在。即使有对TikTok的真实担心，也要对这种担心保持克制，不可放纵它。想想全世界每天有多少对美国可能在通过各种手段窥探他们的担心，大家都在保持克制和理性，美国没理由不同样做。
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