The social media platform designed for creation and discovery, TikTok, has been rumored to be banned for American users for years. However, a ban was issued for a short duration on Jan. 19, which acted as a wake-up call for its users.
ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, faces allegations that TikTok poses a threat to national security due to China’s involvement with the app. The Justice Department accuses ByteDance of the collection of American users’ data.
President Donald Trump granted a 90-day extension to ByteDance after being inaugurated. However, until then the app must be sold to an American-based buyer or the ban will be enacted nationwide.
TikTok is an outlet for creativity, and over the course of several years has cultivated a community from across the globe. A ban will silence the 170 million American users who have the app and isolate them from the community built.
The ban violates the First Amendment, which provides freedom of speech. TikTok allows creators to have their voices to be heard on several topics, and the banning of the app would take this expression away.
As an avid TikTok user, I constantly use the app to be updated on current events. Without TikTok, many users might not be aware of events not only in the U.S., but across the globe, which therefore severs relations.
Another aspect to consider is the seven million small businesses which rely on TikTok for sources of income. TikTok has offered business owners the opportunity to showcase their products and sell them through the TikTok shop.
While it can be argued that these business owners can move to different apps, TikTok’s unique algorithms allow creators to have a better chance of getting their content seen, a feature that lacks in platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
Despite the extension, users still flock to other Chinese-owned platforms such as Rednote and Lemon8, both apps similar to TikTok and offer short forms of media.
This speaks volumes about the uselessness of the banning; most American users don’t care about how platforms come to be, and instead just want content. Users are also downloading VPN’s and using illegal methods to avoid the ban.
American users should have the right to decide if they should continue to use TikTok or not.
If no issues have been reported by the majority, why should American users be faced with a nationwide ban? Taking this choice away silences Americans.
