TikTok Sponsors US Cyber Games To Boost Relations with Cybersecurity Officials

With a proposed agreement to become the founding sponsor of the inaugural US Cyber Games, TikTok hopes to strengthen relations with US officials and allay considerations about its data collection processes.

According to TikTok:

"In collaboration with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education program at the US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, the US Cyber Games is an esports-style program designed to harness the engagement and educational benefits of gaming to inspire emerging cybersecurity talent with vital skills and competencies for global competition."

As per TikTok, the goal of the Cyber Games is to help locate cybersecurity talent to guarantee that official security efforts won't lose ground and allow hackers to gain an advantage over security systems around the world as a result.

TikTok is suitable to stimulate young people to seek a career in cybersecurity because of its influence among younger audiences, and its sponsorship of the event will also assist in increasing awareness while also providing TikTok the opportunity to form connections inside the cybersecurity field. It may also serve to draw attention to TikTok's detachment from its Chinese parent company, as well as the company's said exposure to the Chinese government.

This has been a stumbling block for the platform. Due to its affiliations to the Chinese government, TikTok had been barred in India - its major user market during that period - and the US attempted to compel a sell-off of the app from its Chinese parent firm ByteDance to provide tighter security surrounding US user data.

Perhaps by hosting this event, TikTok will be able to address this as a consideration for the app's development.

TikTok would also support the US Cyber Team, and TikTok Chief Security Officer Roland Cloutier will take part in the US Cyber Games board.

It's an intriguing collaboration, but it is still uncertain if this will help alleviate the concerns about TikTok's processes. Although the Biden Administration has halted the preceding administration's attempt to force the sale of TikTok, it has also stated that it will perform its own inspection into the app. In fact, the US government is currently investigating Facebook and its involvement in assisting vaccine misinformation, but there'll be further assessment of TikTok's ties to the CCP, that could trigger additional attempt to restrict the application or demand its divergence.

TikTok may be able to mitigate this by emphasizing its own focus on cybersecurity and contributing in the recruitment of cybersecurity professionals.