Amid facing potential bans in the United States, TikTok, a popular Chinese app, another Chinese company’s chat robot app called Talkie has been gaining traction in the U.S. Given the concerns over security risks of data theft and influence on Western public opinions by Chinese tech companies like Tencent and TikTok, some commentators believe that the rapid expansion of Chinese tech products into Western markets is backed by the Chinese Communist Party, carrying hidden factors of China’s unrestricted warfare against the West.
Statistics show that as of June, Talkie ranked fifth on the entertainment app download list in the U.S. With approximately 11 million active users worldwide, over half are in the U.S., with others in countries like the Philippines, the U.K., and Canada.
Launched about a year ago, Talkie quickly gained popularity for its AI technology that allows customization of chat partners, enabling users to chat with virtual likenesses of celebrities like Trump, American singer Taylor Swift, tech mogul Elon Musk, or even simulate romantic conversations.
Public information reveals that Talkie, outwardly a startup from Singapore, is actually a subsidiary of MiniMax, a Shanghai-based tech unicorn known as one of China’s “Four Little AI Dragons.”
The audience for Talkie mirrors that of TikTok, predominantly young people. Especially among American youth, Talkie has become another Chinese-developed chat app following in the footsteps of TikTok’s rapid expansion into the U.S.
Professor Lin Zongnan from the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Institute of Telecommunications Engineering at National Taiwan University told Epoch Times, “In the past, generating fake news or distorting information required a lot of manpower, was expensive, and slow, but using AI to create and spread false information has become fast and cost-effective. Algorithms like TikTok’s or Talkie’s AI simulating celebrity voices allow for easy mass customization of desired content. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party is quite wary of these technologies, hence resorting to both internal and external means.”
Lin further mentioned that when Talkie initially gained popularity in China, it was quickly taken down due to circulating politically sensitive and pornographic content, only to reemerge as “Xingye” after modifications. However, these restrictions are not evident in Talkie’s overseas version, likely an attempt by the CCP to replicate TikTok’s influence on American society.
Commentator Tang Jingyuan believes that the swift rise of Talkie in the U.S. is inherently linked to the Chinese government’s involvement. He expressed to Epoch Times that given the CCP’s influence exposed through TikTok, it is evident that Talkie is susceptible to CCP’s manipulation.
Public records indicate that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, established a CCP branch in October 2014 and a CCP committee in April 2017, with at least 140 staff members in several working groups.
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton raised concerns during a Senate hearing in February, questioning TikTok CEO Zhang Yiming about the presence of a CCP branch within ByteDance and its implications on national security, accountability to the CCP, and the company’s alleged independence from CCP influence.
Currently, TikTok is facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by allowing children under 13 to create accounts without parental consent and failing to adequately protect them.
Senator Ted Cruz highlighted during a TikTok hearing that the app was promoting self-harm videos to children in the U.S., causing significant harm to their mental and physical health.
In April last year, TikTok was fined over £12 million by the UK regulatory authority for misuse of children’s data.
Concerns in American society extend beyond privacy issues, with worries about TikTok’s covert attempts to influence public opinion and political trends. During Trump’s reelection campaign in June 2020, TikTok users intentionally reserved tickets for a rally, leading to overestimation of expected attendance and embarrassment for Trump.
Furthermore, following an attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, TikTok’s content leaned towards supporting the terrorist group, aligning with CCP’s narrative rather than backing Israel, sparking global condemnation of Hamas over Israel. The platform saw a surge in posts with #StandwithPalestine compared to #StandwithIsrael, raising questions about potential bias and manipulation.
Recently, another Chinese e-commerce company, Temu, faced allegations of illicitly acquiring personal information, stirring data security concerns globally. Afer being accused of data theft, Temu, an overseas subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, raised concerns over the cheap quality and safety of its expanding overseas markets.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a warning on July 2, labeling Temu’s shopping app as a “data theft app,” advising U.S. citizens to exercise caution when using it.
Griffin noted that while retailers like Amazon and Walmart collect consumer data within certain boundaries, Temu’s actions far surpass those limits, operating as a data theft company under the guise of an e-commerce platform.
An analytical report by Grizzly Research revealed that Temu may unlawfully access smartphone operating systems without authorization, allowing unrestricted access to user data, including camera functions, location information, contacts, messages, documents, and other applications.
The report also details Temu’s perplexing business model. Each order reportedly incurs a $30 loss, with exorbitant expenses on advertising and shipping from China to the U.S., questioning the profitability of such a venture.
Tang Jingyuan highlighted that the infiltration of numerous Chinese apps with CCP affiliations into Western countries relies on comprehensive support from China in terms of funding and manpower. He warned that Western nations must look beyond the surface of economic competition and evaluate these Chinese companies critically.
“In the era of big data and information, data is a crucial resource in economic warfare, applicable across various sectors. For the CCP, it’s a potent tool in its unrestricted warfare against democratic countries like the U.S.,” Tang Jingyuan emphasized.