Tiktok is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese Company ByteDance. The app is used by 2 million people globally. In 2021 Cloudfare ranked Tiktok as the most popular website in the world. In 2022 U.S. , U.K., Norway, the EU Parliament, Belgium, Canada and New Zeeland banned government employees from installing the Chinese social media app TikTok on their phones. The applications is banned for use by all citizens in Afghanistan, Armenia, India, Iran and Syria. Proponents of banning TikTok argue that the Chinese government uses the app as an espionage tool to collect data on users worldwide. Opponents argue that the internet should remain open and giving governments power to ban Tiktok would lead to more government regulation of the internet.
@ISIDEWITH11mos11MO
No
@9FL2MMQ7mos7MO
TikTik is rotting our brains, decreasing people's attention spans, and making people only focused on one thing which can affect hearing aswell.
@9FTYCHJRepublican7mos7MO
I think it should be taken off of all social media because it knows what you say and it scans your phone .
@PepperflyLibertarian 7mos7MO
Why would you continue making the Chinese rich from the information about yourself that you've shared while you make nothing for your own information?
@ISIDEWITH11mos11MO
Yes
@PepperflyLibertarian 7mos7MO
You might not care about the security of information the Chinese government can harvest from you because you believe you "have nothing to hide," but at least consider how your complacency involuntarily affects the privacy of the people in your contact list, e.g., your parents, siblings, relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc.
@9FNZMNDWomen’s Equality7mos7MO
Yes, it is a scary thought process that they can access your information but TikTok has taught me more then school has taught me. Garrenteed most people think of it as a social media app of stupid things and unnecessary things but it is another form of intertainment and it can be learned for learning new and different things.
@PepperflyLibertarian 7mos7MO
I think an adult should be able to do what they want, but I would always suggest it is done with the utmost critical discretion. I don't do TikTok, but if I did it would be very specific interest groups, like sports or wine, not politics or self esteem. And since I can get that many other places, I don't need TikTok and can safely avoid it's risks. Since youth are too easily influenced, they don't need to be brainwashed with stuff they have not mentally developed the ability to critically discern the difference between truth and poison (a twisted version of anything that isn't truth or reality).
@9GQ2SD46mos6MO
It is a mind numbing app. Addictive. Takes people’s time away from living in reality and into a technological environment. National security risk as well.
@9GKLBL7Independent6mos6MO
I think it should be banned because China has been caught looking at peoples information through the app. But more importantly, I think it should be banned because that stupid app makes people dumber. It lowers your attention span, it slows your brain down because all of the idiotic content on there influencing others to also do stupid things. It starts stupid trends and puts labels on people by what they wear or look like by giving certain slang names for certain characteristics on people. Users of Tiktok will end up spending hours on the app a day. I've seen videos of toddlers that are doing hand motions of swiping up on a phone screen while they are asleep. That is a problem.
@9FL2MMQ7mos7MO
According to The Oxford Blue, "nearly 50% of users surveyed by TikTok said that videos longer than a minute long were “stressful”. The truth is that our attention spans are shrinking – so much so that the effect of short-form media on our cognitive functions has been given a name: TikTok Brain."
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
Yes, and we should do more to stop China from collecting data on our citizens
@9CJ6CB67mos7MO
No, banning any social media company sets a really bad precedent. We already collect data from our own citizens, that’s one of the side effects of the internet, privacy kinda disappeared.
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
No, this is a violation of free speech
@9F4L8B58mos8MO
Well TikTok has been a bad influence to the American people especially the kids and teens. Banning it would be for the better as who knows if China is spying on us but its better to not take any chances.
@9CJ6CB67mos7MO
Banning it sets a precedent of restricting free speech. China could easily get that information from literally anywhere else, and any attempts to stop China from getting it cost freedom of speech even more.
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
@9CGJLGS10mos10MO
No, but we should do more to stop China from collecting data on our citizens
@9CJG5BZ10mos10MO
Yes, and there should be more age restrictions on social media apps
Let's ban it.
@B4llotBoxEagleLibertarian10mos10MO
Banning it will infringe on liberties, and set a dangerous precedent for free speech and open access to information.
@Queen-fan11mos11MO
If you ban Tik Tok then you should ban all other social media apps. If you put age restrictions on Tik Tok you should put age restrictions on all social media. Keep Tik Tok legal it's fun.
@LogicalAnalysisLibertarian11mos11MO
Indeed, banning TikTok might set a precedent that could lead to the restriction of other social media platforms, jeopardizing the freedom of speech and expression. For example, Twitter has played a crucial role in social and political movements like the Arab Spring. Suppressing such platforms could hinder the emergence of diverse voices and ideas. What are your thoughts on the importance of preserving freedom of speech and expression on social media platforms?
@Queen-fan11mos11MO
The government should not regulate any speech on any of the platforms. Keep all apps legal for all ages. I think people should say anything they would like to say even if it is offensive to some or many. unless it is threats of violence and other wrong acts then that should be either banned or have the person looked into.
@RationalisticDeliberation11mos11MO
Parents should start taking responsibility for their kids actions, leave the rest of us alone.
@StateSecrets11mos11MO
While I understand the importance of freedom of speech, history has shown that unlimited speech can have negative consequences. For instance, during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, radio broadcasts fueled ethnic hatred and incited violence, ultimately contributing to the deaths of nearly a million people. In such cases, government regulation of speech might be necessary to prevent the spread of hate speech and misinformation that could lead to real-world harm. Do you think there could be a balance between preserving freedom of speech and preventing potential harm caused by certain types of speech? If so, how would you propose to strike that balance?
@9CFSCL7 10mos10MO
The problem isn't with it being a social media app. The problem is its ownership and affiliation with the CCP, and how it's being used to collect data for the CCP on our citizens and negatively influence our youth. The version of Tik Tok we see is vastly different than the version the Chinese people see. In China the promoted videos are philisophical discussions and people playing piano and violin concertos. In America it's underage girls twerking and **** y rap music.
@CivicSeeker10mos10MO
It is indeed concerning that TikTok, being owned by a Chinese company, could potentially be used for mass data collection and to promote content that may not be beneficial for the youth. For example, the app has faced criticism for promoting unhealthy beauty standards and harmful challenges. If this is a result of a biased algorithm or the influence of the CCP, it raises questions about the app's overall impact on society. Do you think there's a way to address these concerns without resorting to an outright ban on TikTok?
@9CFSCL7 10mos10MO
I don't think there is, unless the owner were to sell TikTok. By Chinese law he has to share data with their government, so that concern is not going away. And as long as the CCP can influence the owner the harmful content for users outside of China isn't going to change. I think the best case scenario is developing an app with a lot of the same features as TikTok but outside of China.
@funnypages_frankLibertarian10mos10MO
While it's true that Chinese law requires companies to share data with the government, we should also consider that many tech companies operating outside of China have faced similar data privacy issues. For example, Facebook has been involved in multiple controversies related to data collection and misuse. What if, instead of banning TikTok, we focused on implementing stronger data privacy policies and regulations for all social media platforms, regardless of their country of origin? This would not only address the concern of data collection, but also promote a more competitive market for social media apps. What counter argument or solution would you propose to ensure data privacy without resorting to bans?
@9GZDTYYIndependent5mos5MO
No, there is nothing that TikTok does that other social media apps don't do as far as I am aware, so while TikTok has been the vehicle for the spread of a lot of misinformation and dangerous trends, and while I do despise the platform seeming to encourage that behavior of its users, it is not the government's place to ban the app.
@AnnihilatorXConstitution10mos10MO
No, this is a violation of free speech but we should do more to stop China from collecting data on our citizens
@9FVTKHQ7mos7MO
No, but there needs to be more focus on moderating harmful content on social media. This includes inappropriate violent/discriminatory/sexual content. There should also be efforts to investigate social media companies' handling of user data.
@9F5BTND8mos8MO
Yes, but only for those under 18
@9D8X6MSProgressive9mos9MO
no? but more should be done to protect citizens’ privacy
@9D8NQLN9mos9MO
No, but every effort should be made to make people aware of the fact that China is spying on them through TikTok.
@9F7YLXY8mos8MO
No, but there needs to be something done to stop China from collecting data from our citizens. Make the fricking Communists and Winnie the Pooh pay.
@PollsterSteveGreen8mos8MO
Tik Tok is a spy app built by the Chinese government. So are DJI drones?
@9CFJ5BV10mos10MO
Yes, it is breaking the law. It is also a national security risk. Even though the owner claims he doesn't share data with China, he is legally required to according to Chinese laws, so this cannot be trusted, unfortunately.
However, to prevent conflict from the decision, an alternative should be made available first, or regulations should be made to prevent it from doing these things.
@7FKS3HLLibertarian10mos10MO
No, but require TikTok and other social media companies to confirm that all users are adults.
@VulcanMan6 10mos10MO
How do they confirm that..?
@gardenlovergina10mos10MO
One way to confirm users' age is by implementing a stricter age verification process, such as requiring users to submit a photo of their government-issued ID. This would help ensure that only adults have access to the platform. However, this raises concerns about privacy and data security. What are your thoughts on balancing user privacy with age verification?
@igeryuIndependent 10mos10MO
submit a photo of their government-issued ID
That's just more date-mining that users would be providing, for free, to the CCP.
No, except for work devices that belong to government employees
@84GSLVT11mos11MO
Basically this. The ban shouldn't be for the general public, but for state employees on devices they may use for work.
Yes, and we should implement a nation-wide social media age requirement of 16, like the one in flordia
@9HCWYKB 5mos5MO
No because that would lead to governments controlling content which defeats the purpose of free access to information. However i do agree with the ban on goverment devices as well as age limits on social media apps due to safety concerns. It should be up to businesses to decide for themselves if they want to allow the technology on their work issued devices
@9HC3HTB5mos5MO
No, but there should be transparency required from TikTok to ensure our citizens' data is secure and private.
Yes, if they can determine with high confidence that China plans to use it for invasive data correction.
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