It’s Sunday night, and I’ve finally finished all of my assignments. I open TikTok, ready to scroll for a few minutes before going to bed. Instead, I’m met with a pop up: “We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable.” Personal feelings and attachment aside, banning TikTok, even temporarily, is an unnecessary crackdown on privacy and security issues that already exist on both domestic and internationally owned apps.
Congresspeople from both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns about the privacy of U.S. citizens on TikTok and have stated that banning the app is a matter of national security. These concerns regarding TikTok have some validity, but these problems are far from unique and can be found on nearly all social media platforms. According to Business Insider, a Meta engineer used his personal access to Facebook data to track a woman after a personal dispute. And recently, the European Consumer Organization accused Meta of gathering unnecessary personal information, including data used to infer sexual orientation, emotional status or susceptibility to addiction, according to CNN Business.
However, Meta has not faced a forced sale or ban despite the clear threats to user safety posed by privacy violations. User privacy should be of the utmost importance, but personal information shouldn’t be in the hands of any major social media company, regardless if the company is based in the U.S., China or any other country. Furthermore, the U.S. government should stop playing whack-a-mole against countless platforms that all violate our privacy, as banning specific apps is not a permanent solution. They should instead focus on making concrete legislation that protects the interests of American citizens on social media. For example, the federal government should propose legislation banning social media companies from accessing user browsing data for advertising purposes, like California’s Consumer Privacy Act.
Additionally, the TikTok ban is an infringement on First Amendment rights. The First Amendment only restricts the freedom of speech in cases of clear and present danger, according to Cornell Law School. Banning a platform commonly used to host political discussions censors the voice of the American people by restricting where they can express their opinions.TikTok also gives people a platform to fundraise or campaign for political or social justice causes, something unique to the app that doesn’t exist on other short form content platforms like Instagram or YouTube Shorts.
Moreover, according to USA Today, the TikTok ban will hurt small businesses and content creators. According to a study by Oxford Economics, TikTok generated an estimated $14.7 billion for small businesses and $5.3 billion in tax revenue in 2023.
Exposure and marketing are critical for small businesses to reach their target audiences and show their products to a wide range of consumers, and TikTok has shown itself to be an increasingly effective medium to achieve both of these goals. Without TikTok, small businesses will struggle to maintain the same level of growth and success . Additionally, TikTok Shop, a shopping platform built into the app which allows users to seamlessly review and link products for others to purchase, has generated significant revenue for small business owners. While TikTok Shop does promote fast fashion and overconsumption , drop-shipping and unethically made products are available for purchase across the internet. Purchases made through TikTok Shop have a total gross merchandise value of $11.09 billion, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. TikTok Shop is invaluable to influencers, business owners and consumers.
While some may contend that the ban is a necessary step to protect the national security of the U.S., Congress must first deliver a solution to the data privacy issues that exist within all social media companies. The economic and political implications of banning the app demonstrate why we need to keep TikTok available in the US. Moreover, banning TikTok is only a first step towards censorship: as of now, we still have time to speak up.
