The TikTok Ban, although controversial, would protect Americans from security risks and misinformation.
For the last year, many Americans have wondered if TikTok will be banned, what the effects of such a ban would be, and most importantly, if a ban is the right course of action at all.
TikTok is owned by a Chinese-owned company, ByteDance, which causes the original concern, as tension between China and the United States have grown, especially since the ascension of Xi Jinping to China’s de facto leadership in 2012.
Because TikTok is owned by ByteDance, there has been much concern over national security and the leakage of American data, like people’s locations and personal information.
The hostility between the two countries raises the concern of America’s law makers over China acquiring data that could be used against America and its citizens.
Many countries have banned TikTok from government devices like Australia, Canada and Norway because of national security risks. Denmark, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have banned TikTok from work devices because of the risk that TikTok could be collecting personal information on domestic companies.
However, there are more concerns over TikTok than just national security. TikTok has raised the concern that the app is spreading misinformation by providing videos of false news in the top searches.
From inaccurate retellings of events to giving false information, many people are being indoctrinated into learning things that are untrue and harmful.
Many people argue that they have free speech on TikTok because of the First Amendment, but TikTok is actively presenting many false videos as some of the first results in the search engine, thus limiting a wide range of free speech and cultivating a misconstrued society understanding.
By pushing false news and presenting it in a certain light, China could enforce their own agenda of dividing people and warping individual’s mindsets.
There is also the concern of medical videos presenting dangerous information that can lead to injury and even death.
TikTok also has many videos around challenges that can cause harm and illegal activity like the Benadryl challenge, Blackout challenge and devious lick challenge.
TikTok needs to be banned because of misinformation, dangerous challenges and national security risk.
Like TikTok, Instagram has reels that provide information and entertainment without many of these risks. Also, an American company could create something very similar that would negate the harm of TikTok, increase American revenue and benefit the American people.
While many people argue that banning TikTok is against the First Amendment, TikTok has risks that can lead to injury, incarceration and death; thus, the harms outweigh the benefits if these things continue.
