Tiktok is a video uploading platform where millions of people upload dances, lip syncing videos, DIY's, and much more. For the past month, Donald Trump has been contemplating about banning this app from the United Sates. Tiktok is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance and Trump believes that "TikTok is a threat to national security" as the Chinese government can access data from local Tiktok users. However, there is no evidence that this is actually true as the Chinese government has refuted Trump's claim.
Trump says he'll ban China's TikTok video app in US | DW Newswww.youtube.com
During the pandemic, this has caused quite an outrage among Generation Z as many claim that TikTok has been a medium of news, entertainment, and much more. Previously known as "Musical.ly", this app gained immense popularity in the U.S. as "its biggest investors come from the U.S". This idea has also brought up confusion since a TikTok spokesperson said,
"TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the US. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked."
The American Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit organization created to reserve individual rights, in a tweet also said,
Banning an app like TikTok, which millions of Americans use to communicate with each other, is a danger to free expression and technologically impractical.
Recently, Microsoft has also been interested in buying the U.S. operations of the app, but hasn't made any moves yet. Because of the controversy of what is going to happen, no one is really sure if this app will be banned or not. Others also claim that in addition to the possible security invasion, Trump may also feel intimidated by this app as it has led to thousands of people making fake ticket reservations for a Trump campaign back in June, which led to a low turnout at his rally. Despite not knowing Trump's true intentions, all we can really do right now is wait and see what happens.
