TikTok is under fire because it’s a piece of software from China. We’ve turned a blind eye to hardware security and the fact that the iPhone and nearly every other mainstream consumer device is manufactured in China and likely contain backdoors far more sinister than userland applications can muster. We can not and should not have such double standards when it comes to foreign policy.
The cherry on top, though, is that Western governments are far more sinister than China. Your local government has the capability to act upon the surveillance data that they collect on you, since you are in their jurisdiction. China, by comparison, can’t do anything to you except protect you from such local surveillance.
If the US dislikes China so much, place an embargo and see how long it takes for Uncle Sam’s evil empire to crumble.