Tiktok CEO vs US Congress: The Fight to Ban Tiktok in the US
On March 23 Tiktok CEO Shou Chew stood before Congress to testify over concerns about sharing US data information with China. TikTok is one of our generation’s most popular social media apps. Like any social media app, TikTok is not exempt from government speculation as we witnessed last Thursday.
Throughout the congressional hearing, most lawmakers insisted that TikTok is a threat to national security. Representatives constantly cut off Chew’s response to their questions. In Chew’s testimony, he stresses that TikTok collects data just like any social media app but has not found any evidence of data sharing with China. Congress rejected his answer and believed that he was lying.
The congressional hearing is an embarrassment to US democracy as it accomplished nothing. Most lawmakers asked frivolous questions in an attempt to back their claim of the app being a threat to national security.
Nevertheless, Chew remained calm and collected throughout the hearing and gained popularity among TikTok users.
Washington’s reasons for wanting to ban TikTok go deeper than a breach of national security. I believe Congress realizes that they are losing the influence of citizens. Over 150 million US users are on TikTok which is close to half the population of American citizens. Washington views TikTok as a threat and that is why I believe they are trying to ban the app. They are not realizing that banning the app is taking away American citizens’ free speech and an outlet to express themselves.
