TikTok is D.C.'s new boogeyman. Can Silicon Valley's tactics save it?

TikTok's reputation in Washington as a danger to the American public has been building for years, buoyed by lawmakers who have fixated on the foreign-owned app in response to concerns about the rise of China and the harmful effects of social media on children.

Its American tech competitors have fanned these allegations, shifting political scrutiny away from their own practices.