MyFitnessPal, Strava, etc are threats to national security and they’re US based, but you think that Tiktok isn’t because someone you don’t like said it is? That’s playground logic.
Yeah, it's pretty much a bomb waiting to be used. It might not have been used yet, but that's no reason to claim it's harmless and sleep next to it.
Though, Facebook and Twitter are not much better, and only somewhat less exploitable by the same adversary (there's capitalism for you).
If you are not American, though, the TikTok drama has been one of the more darkly amusing spectacles.
Wait, it wasn't? I'm not sure why this is a controversial opinion. Social media has often been linked to information leakage. Geo tagging of photos was part of the proof that was used to show that Russia invaded Crimea. Similarly US soldiers have had their locations revealed when posting on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. In fact if you're over seas and talking to your partner back home they generally have another soldier listening to the conversation. Given all this why is it surprising that a large social media platform that focuses on videos (which reveal more info), grabs a lot of data, and is connected to the US's largest geopolitical adversary is considered a threat?