The TikTok ban proposed by Congress is nothing more than an attempt to digitally colonize the property of another nation and bring the social media platform under the power of the US. The reasons for the ban are weak, but according to official reports, TikTok is a national security threat.
“Lawmakers and regulators in the West have increasingly expressed concern that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government. They have pointed to laws that allow the Chinese government to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens for intelligence-gathering operations.”
This case is made by pointing to other countries who have banned the app under similar concerns of national security, yet the reasoning can be just as applicable to the major social media platforms that operate in the US, such as Facebook, X and other apps that collect user data. They too, have compromised user data and sold it to the US government and also scammers.
So, the excuse does not hold up in a logical argument or give a legitimate reason to ban an international app as opposed to a domestic one; they both compromise data. If TikTok will sell personal data or use it to spread misinformation, so will Facebook and X.
The counter argument by the TikTok owners, and many who oppose the ban, is that banning the platform would be a violation of free speech for its users. And they are correct. As much as lawmakers, business people and citizens protest on behalf of the right to freedom of speech, this move by Congress is hypocritical at most.
Banning TikTok would shut down the voices of millions of people who express their opinions, information, conduct business and share resources on the platform. They do the same on American owned social media platforms; TikTok is no different. But who honestly cares about the rights of the people? They did not even ask the American people if they wanted a TikTok ban, they voted for the ban themselves and polled people afterward.
In contradictory polls, “An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted in January found 31 percent of adults favored the ban of TikTok, 35 percent opposed it and 31 percent neither favored nor opposed it.” In another poll, however, the results say, “…more than twice as many Americans support the U.S.government banning TikTok as oppose it (50% vs. 22%), though a sizable share (28%) are not sure, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.“
Who actually know if these results are true at all. They are only published as true for the simple reason of giving support to Congress’s proposal to ban the app. Free speech rights of the people were taken from them at the onset.
“They are also worried that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations to fuel misinformation, a concern that has escalated in the United States during the Israel-Hamas war and the presidential election. Critics say that TikTok has fueled the spread of antisemitism and promoted pro-Palestinian content to American users.”
Really? How about the misinformation spread by conservative radio and fake cable news shows that have actually been sued in courts, and lost, for spreading lies. Antisemitism seems to be a top priority for US lawmakers but other cultural racist, violent and hate speech that plague the top social media platforms in the US are somehow excused?
This is a sad attempt by the US government to take control of a successful foreign app that has gained more followers than their own domestic apps. It is more about jealousy, greed and control than it is about national security and free speech. In addition, it is another form of free speech that people can learn from and understand how they have and are currently being betrayed by government, America business, and stay informed against propaganda.
This is the one thing both the Republicans and the Democrats can agree on. They ignore the Russian disinformation into American elections that has compromised a US president and US elections and torn the country into rival forces, but take notice of a social media app, which confirms it is not about security, but money and power.
The US wants control of the platform but first they have to devise an excuse, (like they do when they want to go to war), then force the sell under the threat of a ban before they can actually look legitimate to the people. Underneath all the theater, there is a good ole fashion colonizing of another nation’s resources.
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