Two Knightly News writers discussed their ideas on whether or not the TikTok ban is warranted. Madeleine Ganz argued it was unnecessary, while Molly Luber believed the contrary. Their thoughts are below:
TikTok Shouldn’t be Banned / TikTok’s Role In Strengthening Community
People across the United States of America frantically tried to reload and reset the popular social media app, TikTok around 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19. The app had finally been banned after months of concerns on whether or not the American government would ban Tiktok. A mere few hours later around noon on Sunday, the app was back up and running with a notification reading, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” The future of the app is uncertain at this point, but one thing that I am sure of is that the app should never have gotten banned to begin with.
The main concern behind the Chinese-owned app was that the parent company ByteDance, was going to steal the data of the American people. I feel like this is an extremely naive approach to the digital age that we are all living in today. The majority of websites that one logs into can access their data whether they realize it or not. Not every website in the world is going to be American-owned, and therefore there are hundreds of countries that are accessing our data at any given time. One could argue that the American government has the right to go after TikTok though because it is such a large tech company that has a chokehold on the American people but in reality, TikTok is not even in the top 100 of most used tech companies in the world. Companies like Spotify place way higher than TikTok on that list, coming in at 47, and are also not owned by the United States. Spotify is owned by Sweden, so the United States government does not have a problem with Sweden using our data, but they do care when it is China. It is not the app that they hate, it’s China, which is pretty short-sighted.
Much of the American public is also outraged because they see this as a breach of the First Amendment and their right to free speech. TikTok was a platform where anyone could go and say or do as they pleased without censorship or backlash, but without this platform, citizens felt like their rights were being taken away. Many TikTok creators are also noting that coming back to the platform after the initial ban, the algorithm seems different, and certain topics are being hidden or not popping up on people’s feeds as much. This idea itself has not been confirmed or denied by TikTok, but it is making a large impression on much of the TikTok creator community.
The Pace community is also feeling the effects of the TikTok ban as they feel out of touch with the outside world. “I use TikTok for so much more than entertainment. It helps me stay in contact with my friends who live far away and keeps me updated on what’s going on in pop culture as well as the news,” said sophomore Conner Smock. TikTok, like most social media platforms, is meant to connect people and create a community where people can learn new things and make new friends. Without this platform, the American people take a large decline in their connection to what is going on in the world. “I’ve learned so many things from TikTok, some may be unnecessary while some are helpful, but at the end of the day I don’t think the app causes any harm,” added sophomore Gabby Poline. The banning of TikTok feels completely unnecessary when we take into account all that is happening in the world, and I think there is no need to take this ban any further.
TikTok Should be Banned / Protecting Us, Not Restricting Us: Why TikTok Must Go!
Imagine a world where every swipe is tracked, predicting your every move and selling your personal information. This is the reality of TikTok. Over the past few years, TikTok has become the most influential app across the world. Used by a wide range of ages and nationalities, TikTok’s algorithm has become highly addictive. While this is a very prevalent problem to people’s mental health, an even bigger issue is China’s ability to steal personal information and skew the user’s perspective. TikTok decided to restrict the app in the US hours before the government’s official ban and thanked President Trump on January 19th when the ban was lifted. Due to Trump signing an executive order delaying the ban in hopes of finding an American buyer. For years the idea of banning TikTok has been prevalent in the US. Now more than ever, it needs to go as only 28% of the US opposes the ban!
The FBI has been trying to warn us for years about China’s ability to control people’s algorithms and personal information through their relationship with the company ByteDance. While some US residents are concerned that the US government is controlling access to information through this ban. In reality, through TikTok, China controls the information users see. “I use TikTok every day and it’s where I get my news,” said sophomore Ella Reagan Roth. 19.4% of TikTok information was proven to be false or misleading, including political information, contaminating the minds of younger US generations. By banning TikTok, the US government is protecting citizens from skewed information that China sends to the US through the app.
Many US citizens were left confused after the Supreme Court case about the TikTok ban. Some noticed that the CEO of TikTok is Singaporean, however the relationship between TikTok and the Chinese company ByteDance is unbreakable. The TikTok ban states that TikTok cannot be owned by ByteDance meaning the CEO’s nationality is not an issue, but rather the connection to the Chinese government. Another concern is the exercise of our First Amendment – freedom of speech. The US government has publicly stated that the issue is not TikTok content-makers meaning that controlling the information the US sees is not the purpose or outcome of the ban.
Chinese law requires that companies, like ByteDance, provide information and data they collect to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). This includes private data, and China could use the US citizens’ data against the US making TikTok a national security threat. While it is true that many websites misappropriates users’ information, the problem with TikTok is that it gives information to the Chinese government. The Chinese government has proven to use information about the US against us during political warfare. China’s government is the problem, not the country or the app itself. Their hostile behavior with the US makes the TikTok ban completely reasonable. Censoring the app is not the purpose of the ban. The TikTok ban would be easily lifted if sold to an American-owned company meaning the First Amendment rights are not being violated, as the app content isn’t being attacked. The government is trying to protect us from censorship, not restrict us.
Many Americans are left distraught after the TikTok ban. (nbcnews.com)