Why the U.S. Government Really Wants to Ban TikTok
Image via cnn.com
The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act “ in 2024 isn’t the first time the U.S. government has tried to ban TikTok, but it is the first time the movement has gotten so much traction. Before he departed office in 2021, ex President Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok and in 2023 Montana was the first state to attempt to ban the popular app statewide. Fortunately, in both cases, the bans were shut down. A federal judge overturned Trump’s executive order describing it as “arbitrary and capricious” for failing to consider other means of action to address the issue of national security. Similarly, a federal judge in Montana said banning the app “likely violates the 1st Amendment.” It is worthy to note, however, that the app has been banned on federal devices since 2022 and that 39/50 states have restricted access on governmental devices as well.
Though I think I can live with restrictions on bureaucrats (I see no reason for social media to be on government devices in the first place since the apps are so notorious for mining sensitive data), a complete public ban on TikTok would have the founders of this country rolling in their graves. As an ESL teacher currently working to co-teach U.S. Government, I am far too familiar with history to be assuaged with the House’s “We’re just worried about election interference” cover story. As has become the usual trend when dealing with the growingly fascist U.S. government, I smell ulterior motives.
The push for a TikTok ban comes at a truly interesting time, considering the previous two elections in 2016 and 2020. In 2016, the FBI unequivocally proved Russian interference compromised the U.S. election by spreading disinformation via bots and fake accounts. In 2020, Trump’s cult following stormed the Capitol in attempt to overturn President Biden’s victory. Yet, despite the app having no official connections to these two travesties (unlike Facebook, Twitter, and even Google), TikTok is the only app currently under fire.
I believe this is because TikTok has become a virtual third space wherein members of communities wide and far can assemble and call out the government on its bullshit. You know, according to our 1st Amendment rights. News media in the United States has become so saturated with ads, bias, misinformation, and paywalls that it’s no wonder people are turning to other ways to stay informed. In fact, at present, I often hear about current events accurately on TikTok before learning about them elsewhere. What’s cooler still is that I get to see a lot more first hand perspectives from the people who are immediately affected by current events. The voices of the people aren’t being cut off or clipped to fit a narrative.
Image via the Union of Concerned Scientists
Other examples of news that has blown up on TikTok are the protests in France in response to the rising age of retirement, the ever growing discourse regarding the overturning of Roe V. Wade, and the boycotting of corporate dictators like Starbucks and Kellogg’s, who shit on unions and suggest greedflation can be tempered by eating cereal for dinner. Naturally, these stories all have themes which likely are of concern to the political oligarchs in charge of the land of the “free.”
Perhaps most notably, however, is the immense anti-war movement pushing for the U.S. government to call for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is arguably the first time in history U.S. citizens have been this educated, aware, and able to connect globally. We are seeing what’s going on across the world in real time, how other countries perceive us, and how our government manipulates the truth. We’re also seeing how other developed nations are able to manage education, healthcare, and other social programs in ways that truly benefit their citizens and questioning our capitalist overlords. For a country that’s consistently used blind nationalism and a “We’re the best” motto to keep the people passive and bowing down to straight, white men, it’s not far-fetched to hypothesize the TikTok ban is meant to reign in the power of the people.
Of course, there’s even more irony here because although pushing a TikTok ban in response to the supposed threat of Chinese interference in the 2024 election reeks of the same Red Scare tactics used in Cold War propaganda, Facebook and Twitter are the two social media apps to blame for Communist meddling. It seems to me, Mark Zuckerberg should have gotten more than just a metaphorical slap on the wrist for selling Facebook users’ personal data to Cambridge Analytica without their consent.
In fact, instead of an all out revenge ban on TikTok for allowing American citizens to assemble digitally and discuss our collective dissatisfaction with the state of our country, I have an idea. Why doesn’t the U.S. government address some of the concerns of the age of technology and start holding companies accountable for what they do with our data and for how they manage security and protection from foreign entities. Somehow, I just don’t think a 5.9 billion dollar settlement affects someone worth 174 billion in any kind of meaningful way.
But how can we stay positive when a bill like this stands to establish a new and dark precedent if codified into law? When President Biden himself has commented that he will sign the bill if it makes it past the Senate? How do we organize in the face of potential censorship? We simply do. We take action. We move. We rally.
Photo via baylorlariat.com
I recently did a lesson wherein students were able to assess the potential motives for the TikTok ban aside from the purported potential interference from foreign political bodies and kids had a lot to say. Many of them hit the nail on the head calling out the racism and ignorance shown when TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, was questioned by the House Committee earlier in the year, citing how Senator Tom Cotton kept asking him if he had ties to China even after he said he was Singaporean and loyal to Singapore and how Senator Richard Hudson asked if the app accesses WiFi. They suggested we try to educate the public on media literacy skills rather than by controlling what we see online. They also suggested making fair regulations for all social media platforms to simultaneously keep Americans safe and to protect and promote free speech. They acknowledged the financial devastation banning TikTok would have on small businesses and the people who run them, showing there is empathy and promise in future generations.
In teaching U.S. government, I often notice that teenagers nowadays have absolutely zero faith in our democracy and rightfully think money influences all politicians and government decisions. I also notice this wisdom weighs heavily on them. And I think we need to give them hope.
While it’s easy to enter a freeze state when confronting all the evils of the modern world, we need to remember we’re role models for future generations. The answer is not to be less involved. Contrastingly, I think uniting and creating an even deeper community is the only way to come out on the other side of this. We need to seek to make a difference by doing. We need to write to our respective representatives, we need to vote, we need to protest, and we need to keep the conversation going. In the meantime, I’m delighted to use an app that doesn’t make American capitalist sociopaths any money.