The United States is trying to ban the popular app, TikTok, claiming they are concerned over user data being stolen by China. 

The nation’s main concern with China is that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could be taking data such as location information from its American users. 

On March 23, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, testified in front of Congress. He continuously denied these allegations, saying that TikTok does not share any information with the Chinese government. However, his claims did not seem to reassure Congress. 

According to the New York Times, “TikTok said recently that the Biden administration wants its Chinese ownership to sell the app or face a possible ban.” As the debate continues, Congress is not backing down from their stance. 

According to AP News, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley tried to force a Senate vote on March 29 to ban TikTok from operating in the United States, but he was blocked by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Lawmakers are still debating on what is the best course of action moving forward. 

However, the bill proposed does not only focus on TikTok. According to NBC News, “It’s designed to let the federal government pre-empt situations in which technology produced in any of the six authoritarian countries names in the bill becomes popular in the U.S…” 

There have been some state governments and some universities that have already banned TikTok. These governments do not allow the app on work devices and the universities block the students from accessing TikTok on school Wi-Fi.

SUNY Oswego has their own TikTok page to broadcast anything interesting on campus. If the TikTok ban goes through, the campus accounts will have to try and connect with their students though other ways.

“Since SUNY Oswego is already successful in using other social media platforms with large followings to communicate with their audiences, the TikTok content would be easily transferable and I think it is even better to be posted on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter,” Katie Karlan, an intern with the SUNY Oswego communications department, said.

SUNY Oswego’s TikTok accounts have less followers than their other social media accounts, so the ban may not impact them too much.

“I think the TikTok admissions account would be affected because of the concern of spying on users or gaining access to user data because the account occasionally mentions website links, open house dates and aspects of campus life,” Karlan said. 

The government’s concern is not unjustified. CNC news said, “It admitted in December that some employees had spied on journalists’ location data in an attempt to identify which of its employees were speaking to the media.”

Many people are angry with the government for proposing this bill and claiming the United States are being hypocritical with this ban. The U.S. government collects its citizen’s data and personal information for their own use. “The federal government collects and uses personal information on individuals in increasingly sophisticated ways for things like law enforcement, border control and enhanced online interactions with citizens,” according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. 

Another reason people are angry about this ban is because creating TikToks has become a job itself. There are millions of creators who have built their platform on TikTok and now use it to make money. 

Countless people have taken to TikTok, posting videos in protest of this ban. There have been so many people who have built a business through this app, and for many people, TikTok is their main source of income.

Not only do people feel like this app will take away creators’ income, but people also believe it will take away citizens’ free speech. TikTok is a way people spread information and talk about things the government may not tell people. This has led people to believe the government feels threatened by TikTok, and that is the real reason for this ban. 

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