It seems as though there’s bi-partisan support to ban TikTok.
To be honest, when all the politicians agree on something, it can make me nervous. And while banning TikTok may be a good idea, when the government gets into the “let’s ban this” game, like eating potato chips, it never stops at just one.
We first need to acknowledge that it would restrict the freedom of Americans, denying a service that right now, over 150 million of us use.
That shouldn’t be done in haste, so let’s look at the arguments, worst to best.
"Protect the children!"
First, let me admit a bias. When I hear a politician talk about protecting children, it always starts up my BS detector, because it’s an age-old line that can be used to ban or regulate pretty much everything.
Yes, young people often do stupid and sometimes dangerous things on TikTok. It’s no news flash to any of you, though, that … young people often do stupid and sometimes dangerous things. This is not an internet phenomenon.
Might fame encourage more kids to do so? Sure. On the other hand, there's nothing like watching someone launch a firework from their backside to teach you a quick, enduring life lesson.
Others say the app can expose kids to adult content. That’s a real issue for society and the entire internet, yet as an anti-TikTok argument it’s near disingenuous. If you can type with one finger, you’re never more than 10 seconds away from hardcore porn.
Still, I won’t argue that China would happily pump poison our way, whether it’s opioids or addicting apps. And it’s worth noting that the Chinese version of TikTok is a wholly different experience, where kids are more likely to see science experiments than twerkers, and their time is limited to 40 minutes per day. The government bans the TikTok we know.
Spreading Chinese propaganda?
This may be a future problem, but an app that features lip-synching celebrities probably isn’t washing too many brains to support the commies. (While we’re on the topic, Russians spending a few thousand dollars on Facebook ads didn’t elect Donald Trump in 2016.)
But …
In the near future, AI technology will generate the most effective propaganda we've ever seen. Political bots will go from pretty lame to amazingly scary. (I’ll have more on this soon.) Then and now, I’m more worried about Chinese bots influencing political conversations on Twitter than I’m worried about the TikTok app itself.
Chinese espionage
The argument here is strong.
The app collects a vast amount of personal information from users, such as their location, contacts, browsing history, and device identifiers. This data could be used to track, target, or manipulate users for political or economic purposes.
I have personal experience working for a company where I (legally) was able to access an employee’s emails who was suspected of fraud. Electronic information like that allows you unprecedented insight into a target.
Is it more dangerous than the data that Facebook, Google, and the U.S. government have at their fingertips? No, and that’s a massive issue that people shrug their shoulders at. And let’s be clear, those entities — especially Google’s YouTube — are undoubtedly working with Congress to cripple a major competitor.
But it’s China. It has a long history of using stolen data to advance its goals, and its goal right now is to supplant the United States as the world’s superpower.
And with the easy availability of all kinds of crap on the Internet that good parenting wouldn't allow, maybe it's time that parents step up to being responsible parents instead of letting the kids' phones be substitute parents....
Band Aid, how does GOD Force parents to accept their parenting responsibilities? Family, the heart of the matter!