TikTok is once again facing the threat of a nationwide ban in the US as the House of Representatives push for its proposed bill to block the Chinese-based ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, from the country.
While lawmakers portray the situation as a black-and-white battle to protect Americans' data from the Chinese government and other "foreign adversary countries," the legislation is far more complex than it is depicted.
TikTok Becomes a Platform for Young Americans on Politics
The rise of TikTok among younger generations has also pushed the platform to house more political ideologies than any other mainstream social media site on the internet.
Politicians have already noticed this growing trend as many candidates have moved their election campaigns on the platform to fish younger voters, including US President Joe Biden.
With the looming ban, however, many young Americans are at risk of being de-platformed.
It is estimated that 41 million Generation Z will become eligible voters by November 2024, at least one-fourth of the total number of voters expected to participate in the elections.
US Gov't Continues to Crack Down on Critics Through Soc Med Restrictions
In the same manner that the platform houses more political discussions, it also tends to provide a platform for opinions and criticisms against the government.
Many of the early calls regarding the plight of Palestinians during the early days after the Oct. 7 attack came from TikTok.
Biden and impeached President Donald Trump, in particular, have been common topics of political posts regarding their policies in the Middle East, the Mexican border, and the rising inflation in the US.
The proposed ByteDance ban is not even the first time an attempt was made to suppress
Just earlier this year, Congress is reported to be pushing the controversial Kids Online Safety Act to social media leaders as a supposed protective measure for their mental health.
Many digital groups have already warned politicians that the law can be used
Axios earlier reported that several Democrat politicians have already expressed concerns that the increasing restrictions will result in massive pushbacks from younger voters ahead of the election period.
Yellow Scare Mixed in TikTok Ban Bill
The proposed Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is primarily aimed towards preventing "foreign adversary controlled applications" in the US.
The reason for the ban: foreign adversary countries like China are stealing and influencing the information Americans get from the app.
It is worth noting, however, that TikTok stores US users' data and algorithms in Texas-based Oracle Corp's cloud drives.
And despite the accusations of a data breach in the platform, no reports have yet to confirm that the Americans' data on TikTok has been accessed by the Chinese government since.
The US and China have been embroiled in increasing tension as the two superpower countries clash towards dominance in the global market.
Related Article : What Happens if TikTok is Banned in the US?
