TikTok, an app that pretty much everyone knows and has, is being banned throughout the United States. Recently, TikTok has been banned within the U.S. House and Senate while multiple universities have followed, some of which include Auburn, Georgia, Texas A&M, University of Texas – Austin, and Texas Tech.
Why is TikTok facing these bans? The government believes TikTok is a national security threat because it is owned by a Chinese internet company called ByteDance. In the past, this company has been challenged for how it handles its data, which includes the information of many Americans. It is believed that this information about Americans is being transmitted from the app to Chinese authorities through its content recommendation system. It is also believed the app is pushing harmful content onto users’ “For You” pages. According to The New York Times, the issue has gotten so serious that on February 2nd, Senator Michael F. Bennet called on Apple and Google to ban TikTok in app stores.
What is TikTok doing in response to these bans? TikTok has stated that it will address security concerns that have been brought to its attention at the state and federal levels. In fact, the app’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, is appearing in front of a House committee in March. The company has spent lots of money trying to convince critics that it will not give the Chinese government user data or influence over its users. They have also contributed $1 billion to something called “Project Texas, “ according to Vox, which is an attempt to rebuild the app on servers in the U.S., ultimately promising independent control and transparency.
What do the college students think? Due to recent bans within multiple university systems, students are beginning to become upset and unsettled. According to Bloomberg, recent studies have found that over 25 states have already imposed the ban on their state-owned equipment in the past few weeks. Over a dozen universities have banned TikTok in some form, and more Texas schools are joining in, so what’s to say TCU won’t do the same? It can be argued that the ban disrespects the students’ personal freedoms to use the app. It can also be argued that TikTok is an app used for educational purposes for the professors as well as students, as it creates a platform on which they can teach and students can access.
TikTok is an extremely popular app used for more than watching “get ready with me” videos and doing the latest dance trends. However, it could pose a great threat to Americans’ privacy and security. Is it really worth keeping around, or is it truly not affiliated with Chinese authorities?