Should TikTok be banned, divested or remain Chinese owned?
Posted By RichC on March 20, 2024
I’m of the opinion that there are three basic issues we Americans need to address when discussing what should be done with TikTok — be it a ban, divested ownership or continue under Chinese ownership and control.
The Chinese Communist Party (government) uses the social media platform to collect data on U.S. citizens/user and feeds an addicted user base in the U.S. with propaganda and a selectively moderated feed.
Is that appropriate from any foreign country?- TikTok’s data collection practices and influence, puts Americans and the United States at risk from an adversarial country.
Is it a form of “spying” and espionage? - How much freedom should Americans have when it comes to what they choose to read, watch and listen to?
Would banning TikTok infringe on the First Amendment?
TikTok, though, may go for option three: Sue the government. (LINK)
For the most part, people who use TikTok to enjoy the senseless videos (including one below) and see it as harmless. They do not understand how the algorithms are used or what the propaganda value is to the CCP.
Personally I think we’ve already watched information manipulation take place within our own media and social media, especially during the 2020 presidential campaig. SO, I’m of the opinion that it is bad enough when it comes from U.S. owned and controlled companies, but it should not be permitted by foreign countries … and particularly the ones that do not share our democratic values (closed to our companies or “government owned/run” organizations freely running in their country). In other words … keep the platform, but TikTok should be divested from Chinese government control, manipulation and ownership … and from collecting data on U.S. citizens, sent to Beijing and used by the Chinese Communist Party (but I’m still not using it).
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