TikTok’s rising popularity is a dangerous threat to national security. TikTok must be banned. That’s the conclusion of lawmakers and university presidents who want to restrict access to the site.
These lawmakers and academic leaders fear the Chinese firm that owns TikTok will collude with the Chinese government and use the data it collects from members to conduct misinformation campaigns.
Since November, more than two dozen states have banned TikTok on government-issued devices. Many colleges — like the University of Texas at Austin, Auburn University, and Boise State University — have blocked it from campus Wi-Fi networks. However students often just switch to cellular data to use the app.
TikTok is interesting from a brand perspective because, beyond the bans and controversy, it’s a favorite social media site for millions of Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of U.S. adults (33%) use the video-based platform, up 12 percentage points from 2021 (21%). Furthermore, Hispanic adults are particularly likely to use TikTok, with 49% saying they use it.
To promote the good things that happen on the platform, the company created a PR campaign called #TikTokSparksGood.
According to the Washington Post, TikTok has spent record amounts on lobbying, launched an ad campaign touting its contributions to American businesses, and hired a cadre of experienced Washington operators to help push its message to lawmakers.
The brand’s ad campaign helps reframe the conversation in human terms. People enjoy the platform and some small business owners rely on it. They could rely on YouTube or some other site, but they don’t. They rely on TikTok where they’ve built a following.
Not surprisingly, there’s a grassroots movement afoot to resist the bans. It’s called Don’t Ban TikTok. Here’s the heart of their pitch.
Sign the petition to tell US lawmakers: “I want my elected officials to ACTUALLY protect my sensitive data from China and other governments. Stop feeding moral panic and pass a real data privacy law to stop Big Tech companies––including TikTok!––from harvesting and abusing our personal data for profit.
I appreciate how the activists served that up. The issue doesn’t belong to any one company or one nation. Some of America’s leading tech companies also pose threats to American citizens.
