Algorithm, geopolitics, and digital sovereignty

is TikTok really a global threat?

Abstract

The article examines the rise of TikTok and its shift from a short-video application to a central actor in geopolitical, ideological, and symbolic disputes. The analysis draws on a qualitative bibliographic and documentary review and argues that the regulatory panic observed in the West — expressed through bans, legislative proposals, and media campaigns — cannot be explained solely by risks to data privacy or to the health of young audiences. This reaction stems primarily from contests over technological sovereignty and capital control, interpreted here through the concepts of surveillance capitalism (Zuboff), soft power (Nye), and digital sovereignty (Floridi). By juxtaposing the risk discourses directed at TikTok with the practices of U.S.-based platforms, the article discusses the implications for public policy in the Global South, with the aim of fostering a safer, more accessible, and more democratic internet.