LONG WINDED RANT INCOMING!!
On this day, TikTok is officially banned in the US on all devices after the US Supreme Court upheld the act known as PAFACA or (Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) by a unanimous vote. However, Bytedance removed TikTok from app stores and was blocked on all devices to prepare for the fallout a day before the ban.Â
TikTok has been on America’s radar since Trump’s first term in office but hasn’t gotten the boot until more recently. The reasons stem mostly on these two justifications: 1. National security concerns of American data being collected by Bytedance to be then given to the Chinese government and 2. To combat China’s efforts to manipulate Americans on the content of the platform. But the truth of the matter is…it’s all bullshit.
The entire narrative behind the “national security” belief is but a red herring as to the US's real motives, it’s to suppress freedom of speech from dissenting voices that otherwise wouldn’t be controlled under an American company. The ironic aspect of all this is that the very crimes Congress, DOJ, and many other ruling bodies are claiming China is doing is exactly what America is doing now on a corporate and governmental scale. Why make such a big fuss about data security when that same concern has little to no impact in regards to US tech corporations? What exactly is China going to do when they finally have data on that one person from TikTok doing silly dances? Why is a foreign fucking agent needed to sow dissent in American citizens when our own government does just that?Â
Despite these claims they’ve yet to provide evidence to justify this ban, it is merely speculation, which is not a good look to make in regards to defending free speech from foreign agents. It is possible that Bytedance could be collecting data to be handed over to the PRC, it is possible they could be manufacturing the algorithm in their interest, but how is that any different than how we do it? If anything, it’s far worse in comparison and receives little pushback.
Meanwhile, you have Senator Mitt Romney saying exactly the reason as to why this ban is a motive in the first place. https://youtu.be/V92PzA6eEyM?feature=shared&t=1333Â
This is not the first time American politicians have brought up pro-Palestine sentiment or in their words “Hamas propaganda” concerning TikTok or how they’ll tie it to the same degree of promoting tyranny as pro-Russia or pro-China. They know they can’t have full control of what the political narrative is on TikTok because it’s not an American company with Western-centric interest, the algorithm can’t be easily swayed to support Israel in comparison, so what can they do? Well, label it a national security concern and try to ban the app on grounds of speculation rather than proof. If this isn’t enough to convince you, keep in mind that the American government’s only other option to TikTok besides getting banned is to sell to some other benefactor to own the app just to do the same thing it’s always been doing, just not under a Chinese company.  Â
And before anyone is quick to jump on the “good riddance” bandwagon, I’d like to remind you that this is not a victory for the people, it is a continual reminder that America will do whatever it can to use security as a justification of suppression of free speech just as it has done time and time again. If you think this will only apply to China or some other foreign nation, think again. It’s these slippery slopes that make the rise of a fascist state all the more possible.Â
But despite all this, will the ban be permanent? Hard to say, but knowing if Trump is involved, he just might make the ban temporary and allow the divestment to go through and the app to remain on American grounds (for his interest, of course) Either that or people just use Rednote instead, which would be the opposite of what the government would want. But even if TikTok was brought back, it wouldn’t undo the damage that has already been set in stone.Â
