A U.S. TikTok Ban is Gaining Steam in Congress
Since 2020, TikTok has become the most dominant app within the social media sector. In fact, in 2021, TikTok’s platform had more views than Google. The platform has had the U.S. in a chokehold with its simple interface and ability to drown consumers with content in seconds. That stranglehold, however, may be coming to an end if members of Congress have their way.
Bipartisan legislation has been created to block any social media transactions by any company under the influence of China and Russia. This would include TikTok and its parent company ByteDance. Many lawmakers within the U.S. have already begun to take steps in the governess of the platform. Several states such as Virginia, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Alabama have passed legislation that bans the use of TikTok on state devices such as phones, ipads, and laptops. The U.S. Senate also unanimously approved this on the federal level.
Why are lawmakers seeking a ban? Since its rise, there have been growing national security concerns over its connection to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). FBI director recently testified before the House Homeland Security Committee and raised further flags. Many feel that China’s laws, power, and influence will force ByteDance to hand over the personal data of U.S. users if they are requested to do so.
The Biden Administration is on the cusp of striking a deal with ByteDance that will require them to store U.S. data within the country but the Chinese parent company would still control and operate the platform. Critics on both sides of the political aisle flagged that this would just be a sham and that China would find ways to work around this agreement. Should the U.S. move forward with the ban, they would not be the first. India banned TikTok in 2021.
TikTok’s influence cannot be ignored, they have been the most downloaded app in the past two years. They have over 1 billion active users and over 100 million in America. It seems likely that the service and the U.S. government are on a collision course.
Another Day in the Twitterverse
Not a month, week, or day can go by without Twitter making headlines in the news. Here is what’s been going on since last week:
Twitter Blue version 2. After the initial rollout of Twitter’s premium service, Twitter Blue was criticized as confusing and rushed, the company has relaunched the service. One of the most notable changes is that apple users will have to pay $11 as opposed to the standard $8. Some believe this is in response to Apple’s 30% fee for companies who wish to do business via the app store. Twitter Blue users will also have the ability to edit and send longer tweets. The company also noted that it will soon roll out an additional feature that prioritizes tweets and replies from premium subscribers.
Elon’s jet. A Twitter account named Elonjet used public data to share via tweets, where Elon Musk’s private plane traveled to. While Musk said he would not suspend the account in November in the name of free speech, the account has since been suspended. Musk also suspended journalists who shared information about the jet. Amid backlash, the journalists had their accounts restored. Journalists and others have argued that actions like this place Twitter right back to where they were. As if free speech is determined by the whims of the owners of Twitter as opposed to a standard policy.
Doxxing. Elon’s recent actions have people getting more familiar with the term doxxing. Doxxing, also known as “dropping box” is widely regarded as gathering private or identifying information and releasing it online without the person’s permission. It is often done with hostile intent such as bullying or revenge. In a Twitter Space room, Elon made it clear: “You dox, you get suspended. End of story. That’s it.” This was the justification for suspending the private jet account. Elon noted that a vehicle that had his son in it was being followed and such practices put his family in danger. Some have noted that the jet information is public data available to everyone so this should not be considered doxxing. Critics argued that Elon is doing the exact same thing he accused of Twitter’sold regime of doing in regards to dictating what is free speech and what isn’t. While doxxing is not necessarily illegal, it is unethical.
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