A move to ban TikTok is gathering huge bipartisan support in Congress. 
Protecting Americans From Foreign Applications
The House Select Committee on the CCP described the bill’s intent in its press release Bipartisan Coalition Introduce Legislation to Protect Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications, Including TikTok
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, today introduced the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The bill prevents app store availability or web hosting services in the U.S. for ByteDance-controlled applications, including TikTok, unless the application severs ties to entities like ByteDance that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary, as defined by Congress in Title 10.
In addition, the bill creates a process for the President to designate certain, specifically defined social media applications that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary—per Title 10—and pose a national security risk. Designated applications will face a prohibition on app store availability and web hosting services in the U.S. unless they sever ties to entities subject to the control of a foreign adversary through divestment.
The bill is co-led by House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN ), Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL). Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), Rep. Shontell Brown (D-OH), Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
“This is my message to TikTok: break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users,” said Chairman Gallagher. “America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States. TikTok’s time in the United States is over unless it ends its relationship with CCP-controlled ByteDance.”
“So long as it is owned by ByteDance and thus required to collaborate with the CCP, TikTok poses critical threats to our national security. Our bipartisan legislation would protect American social media users by driving the divestment of foreign adversary-controlled apps to ensure that Americans are protected from the digital surveillance and influence operations of regimes that could weaponize their personal data against them. Whether it’s Russia or the CCP, this bill ensures the President has the tools he needs to press dangerous apps to divest and defend Americans’ security and privacy against our adversaries,” said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.
Link to the Bill
Inquiring minds may wish to read the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that is picking up steam in Congress.
That is a link to the bill itself.
TikTok Claims It Has 150 Million American Users
Variety reports TikTok, Facing Possible U.S. Ban, Claims It Has 150 Million American Users
These snips are from March 23, 2023.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in a video message posted to the platform, boasted that the 150 million-plus users in the U.S. represents almost half of the country’s population. “Now this comes at a pivotal moment for us,” Chew said. “Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok. Now, this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.”
Separately, TikTok on Tuesday announced an update to its community guidelines, which included a new requirement that “synthetic media” depicting realistic scenes — i.e., deepfakes — “must be clearly disclosed” using a sticker or caption (such as “synthetic,” “fake,” “not real” or “altered.” In addition, TikTok now explicitly bans deepfakes that include “the likeness of any real private figure” and prohibits synthetic media of public figures “if the content is used for endorsements or violates any other policy.”
“If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: A change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.”
According to the company’s own admission, ByteDance employees have used TikTok to spy on American citizens. In December 2022, ByteDance said that four of its employees violated company policy by inappropriately accessing data on U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, in an attempt to track down the source of information leaks. ByteDance said it fired all four of the employees, two based in the U.S. and two in China. The incident is now reportedly being investigated by the Justice Department and the FBI.
TikTok User Age, Gender, & Demographics
Please note TikTok User Age, Gender, & Demographics
- 1 in 4 TikTok users are under 20 years old
- TikTok has more Gen Z users than Instagram
- The majority of TikTok creators are aged 18 to 24
- 57% of TikTok users are female
- The US has the largest TikTok audience (over 135 million)
- Almost 90% of Saudi Arabian adults use TikTok
- The average age of the top 10 TikTok creators is 24 years old
- Each of 2021’s top seven TikTok earners was 25 years old or younger
The above stats are from 2022 although the link itself claims 2024.
The lead image and the following paragraph is from TikTok Users by Country.
According to the latest data on TikTok’s advertising reach, the United States is home to the majority of TikTok users worldwide, with 143.4 million TikTokers residing there.
Analysts say TikTok’s popularity in the US skyrocketed following its merger with Musical.ly in 2018. Prior to that, there were fewer than 10 million monthly active users on the platform. But in the months following the merger, the number of TikTok users grew exponentially. It surpassed Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube in the number of downloads, and even prompted Facebook to launch a rival service, Lasso. Incidentally, many of the most-followed people on TikTok are also located in the US.
National Security Threat!?
The bill is sponsored by 9 Republicans and 9 Democrats on claims of national security.
This is another one of those slippery slopes of banning speech to protect people from themselves.
The risk should be easy to spot. By executive decree, a president will expand the mandate to do whatever the president wants regarding Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Economic and Election Side of the Story
If this bill makes its way through Congress and Biden signs it, he will further alienate all the TikTok users who are already upset with Biden over housing and the state of the economy.
Credit Card and Auto Delinquencies Soar
Note the steep climb in 90 day or longer delinquencies especially in age groups 18-29 and 30-39.
Record High Credit Card Debt
Credit card debt rose to a new record high of $1.13 trillion, up $50 billion in the quarter. Even more troubling is the surge in serious delinquencies, defined as 90 days or more past due.
For nearly all age groups, serious delinquencies are the highest since 2011 at best.
Auto Loan Delinquencies
Serious delinquencies on auto loans have jumped from under 3 percent in mid-2021 to to 5 percent at the end of 2023 for age group 18-29.
Age group 30-39 is also troubling. Serious delinquencies for age groups 18-29 and 30-39 are at the highest levels since 2010.
For further discussion please see Credit Card and Auto Delinquencies Soar, Especially Age Group 18 to 39
Generational Homeownership Rates
The above chart is from the Apartment List’s 2023 Millennial Homeownership Report
Those struggling with rent are more likely to Millennials and Zoomers than Generation X, Baby Boomers, or members of the Silent Generation.
The same age groups struggling with credit card and auto delinquencies.
Banning TikTok would upset a lot of voters and Biden would take the blame in an age group that is already steaming.
This could get interesting.
I dont agree with government banning things but TikTok is BAD. The mental health/indoctrination/grooming plague it has beset amongst children is stunning. Its algorithm and format is unprecedented in its ability to suck kids down a rabbit hole of warped thinking
Normally it should be parents that ban tiktok in their houses but parents have abdicated the raising of their kids to mass media long ago. At this point government intervention is required.
I’d love to see an audit of Tiktok’s algorithm. I’m sure they’ll find it’s a CCP psyop designed to drive children and young adults insane. The data collection security threat is a dog whistle used to get boomer votes behind the ban because they dont understand the technology. The real danger is the divisiveness and social decay it inflicts on the younger generations.
I am more worried about the expansion part than the tiktok part. Funny how the more broke and screwed up things get the more they tighten the noose and prance around acting as if everything is cheerio. These clowns need to go.
No reason to believe there are actually 140MM unique, active human users in the U.S. any more than to believe user data from Meta.
That said, TikTok is getting to the apex of its life cycle and will be on the downswing soon as it will be supplanted by another platform in the near future so why bother “reacting” at this point in time? Nothing has staying power in the world of social media and the next sub-generation coming of age is going to find a new place to hang out that those ‘squares’ who use TikTok won’t understand or adopt.
Facebuk (or lifelog, as the effort was known in some intel circles) used to be for college kids, but twenty years later the lingering users are the middle-aged and seniors. The user base of a platform tends to age as the platform ages because once users get established (or make a home, if you will) on a platform they don’t readily jump to the newest thing.
All great points and I agree 100%. 👍
What if market research companies pumped up user statistics for their social media clients? What if ratings agencies pumped up the credit quality of dodgy securties for their paying customers? What if the FBI used known bogus opposition research to lie to the FISA court in order to spy on a president?
143 million users? Odd, I don’t know a single one. I think this is a non issue.
It’s not a non-issue to 150 million mostly zoomers and millennials.
It should be banned just for those idiotic videos of nurses and doctors dancing.
Actually this just shows how vile and evil most politicians are and that they have never read the constitution and in the off chance they did, they didn’t understand it.
Don’t ban TikTok for the nurses and doctors dancing. Reprimand the nurses and doctors who did the dancing as it was on work premises and possibly on paid rostered time. If any twisted an ankle or whatever doing those moves then were they given compensation or paid time off at a time when we were forced to lockdown because they didn’t want the hospitals overwhelmed?
Don’t like TikTok or any of those sites but such bans will be the thin edge of the wedge to control every site that doesn’t conform to the approve narrative.
Sorry Mish, Your reasoning is all messed up TikTok needs to go.
You are entitled to your opinion but banning things you do not like is the real motivation.
“The House Select Committee on the CCP described the bill’s intent in its press release Bipartisan Coalition Introduce Legislation to Protect Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications, Including TikTok”
As a response, other countries will introduce legislation to protect themselves from the US based propaganda and disinformation assets.
Ping pong.
Correct
So?
Can we introduce legislation here in America, to protect us U.S. Citizens from the “US based propaganda and disinformation” campaigns they weigh against us?
I would be happy with No TIK TOK, if we get that legislation in return for our efforts. It will shed the communist propaganda from both assets, and free the U.S. from all the BS.
A Win-Win for America and it’s Citizens for a change!!!
I see your point, but I’ve always believed that the propaganda train is very similar to buyers and sellers.
Propaganda only works when enough people buy into the bullshit. This is the fundamental problem. Banning this or that does nothing to change the status quo. It simply rearranges the deck the chairs.
That would be true except that there is no required full disclosure or liability with propaganda. Snake oil was bought by willing buyers until its benefits were fully disclosed.
Caveat emptor…..anyone that believes what they hear and cannot verify the information either themselves or by another trusted source deserves exactly what’s coming.
People are lazy and suffer from confirmation bias.
Believe:
half of what you see
nothing of what you hear
only some of what you carefully read
Actually propaganda works because it’s propaganda. To Johns point, with no disclosure it’s believed by many to be true. This allows for a misinformed person to believe in the propaganda. Maybe just because they want to, which is the entire point. By banning it, you dissolve that % of fooled voters into believing something that’s untrue from the start.
Propaganda is nothing but evil, lying, misleading information to tug on your emotions and heart strings. Get you to believe or fall for myths and agendas that are not what the topic was supposed to even be about. A ploy to get your way through distorted facts and the use of talking points and “Useful Idiots” like the MSM for example, who are always pushing talking points and agendas that don’t align with reality. That’s because it isn’t, as it is all actually just Propaganda!!!
Propaganda is pretty easy to spot. If the message is structured in a way that elicits a strong emotional response and it is accompanied by little to no facts that are easily verifiable, then it’s most likely propaganda. Hence the snake oil salesman promising a cure-all that will make you feel like a million bucks. People fall for it not because they rationally know the snake-oil works. They fall for it because they WANT the snake oil to work from an emotional point of view, and then they get pissed when it inevitably
doesn’t deliver. They have essentially allowed thier rational decision making processes to become hijacked by a charlatan. Makes zero sense to me.
– Propaganda is pretty easy to spot.
> No it’s actually not, which is why it works so well.
– If the message is structured in a way that elicits a strong emotional response and it is accompanied by little to no facts that are easily verifiable, then it’s most likely propaganda.
> By smart people looking for it, but not emotionally led people with an agenda and another reason to believe in it. They are emotionally all in, and facts be damned at that point. They are led by their own doing I agree, but Only due to the propaganda. That is the point.
– They have essentially allowed their rational decision making processes to become hijacked.
> Exactly the people Propagandist love to get into discussions with. They are easily led, easily fooled, and easy to believe anything that fits their narrative. They need protection from the Propagandists AND Themselves…
Back in the day U.S. citizens were somewhat protected from US-based propaganda and disinformation assets.
See link to newsroom.tiktok.com
TikTok is not owned or controlled by China or its government; its HQ is in Singapore and Los Angeles, its executives are not Chinese citizens, and user data is stored locally according to local markets. It is
A question: What is the CCP or Chinese Communist Party?
There does not seem to be an organization bearing this name.
– “This is my message to TikTok: break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users,” said Chairman Gallagher.
> Sounds fair but Um.. hasn’t China (CCP) been involved with this type of App since around 2016? Mr. Chairman were You around in 2016-2017, or how about between 2018-2023. Just curious, because if you were, I am certain we would have heard from you way back then, Right? And…
> “Whether it’s Russia or the CCP” – Caught this little Gem in there. Russia, Russia, Russia is alive and well. It’s more like a mating season thing in nature with birds let’s say. The Dem’s, RINO’s and MSM (BS’s) around March, every 4 Years or so, gather/flock around and talk about Russia, like it’s a thing. Very odd…
– Whether it’s Russia or the CCP, this bill ensures the President has the tools he needs to press dangerous apps to divest.
> Why does he require that Authority, if it’s unchecked?
– TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in a video message posted to the platform, boasted that the 150 million-plus users in the U.S.
> Of course he did, just as “The View” would boast about having 2 Billion viewers in China watching their show every week. So what, we have allowed it for years. I must say however, that the Stats from the CCP for 2022 are quite impressive.
– Is there a National Security Threat!?
> For what? The state of the economy perhaps? Could it be due to the fact that Credit Card and Auto Delinquencies have Soared? Especially amongst the Young.
This could get interesting.
Doesn’t the federal government need to amend the constitution to ban things? The 18th amendment was required to ban alcohol. I’m curious why that is no longer the case.
It’s scary that both republicans and democrats support this. This is just more evidence that both parties are one in the same. Neither value freedom, and both want to force their values on the masses with no escape.
How will groomers find their victims if this is banned?
Victoria Nuland out !
Gonzalo Lira’s Victoria Nuland podcast. Pretty much explained everything.
link to m.youtube.com
Probably signed up with the Ukrainian army as a foreign fighter against Russia. Terrifying.
This National Security threat from the communist Chinese over a social media app is a ruse.
What really frightens the powers that be is that TikTok can’t be controlled as they do with YouTube (Google), Microsoft, Instagram (Facebook), X, Apple, and so forth.
On top of that, many youths get their news solely from TikTok creators, not from mainstream sources (newspaper, television, etc.)
All it takes is someone with a phone and that person can show, unfiltered, what’s really going on in the world
As an example, without TikTok, a lot of the atrocities in Gaza would never have seen the light of day here.
This is one of the main reasons why the young are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
bingo – good comment
VERY WELL SAID JGolden 👏 👍 👌 🙌 ❤️
That’s exactly wanted to be censored.
That’s all politics.
Too bad those unfortunate souls in Yemen don’t have that kind of social media presence. Think of the views!
Sarcasm aside, if tiktok is why someone is pro-Palastinian hopefully it inspires them to learn about things not presented in the media equivalent of a video slot machine. Those social media algorithms are finely-tuned to trigger clicks and hold attention, meaning a narrow focus of subjects that excite the user’s emotions.
Government criminals have failed on the border. Can’t stop spending and racking up record debt. Are in every fukin war across the world. Are laundering money through MICC and foreign grifters. Illegally jailing protesters. Illegally targeting and prosecuting a political opponant and I could go on and on for pages….. but yea let’s focus on tiktoc
We’re deeply Fd
From what information I have read it seems every important public App has already been hacked by Domestic and Foreign— Government Agencies. So shutting down ToK might convince somebody the Government is protecting you, but all these Agencies are monitoring all the other Apps– anyway is seems.
TikTok is a Chinese company but its use is banned in China. That should tell you all you need to know.
Would have been good to post revenue numbers from either TikTok itself or how much the influencers get paid. The article below says TikTokers earn anywhere from $17 to $30000 per month on videos and sponsorships. It’s easy to see the lure of the platform beyond quirky cat videos. Why waste time working in a cubicle 8 hours a day for a crap wage when tens of thousands $$$$$ await online from the comfort of your home.
The smart ones with high pay end up buying real estate and retire early.
link to businessinsider.com
It’s always satisfying to see young people find their own money train. I am also guessing they don’t pay social security tax :p and that may be the reason for the ban.
How do they not pay SSI tax? They would be considered self employed so Tik Tok would issue them a 1099 if they earn more than $600. When they file thier income taxes they will be hit with SSI taxes as well for being self employed.
Shoveling the ‘67 snowstorm was a windfall for me.
TikTok is absolutely a national threat. There is no slippery slope about preventing foreign nations from indoctrinating people in the US by leading discussions how the US is to be run. Allow only companies owned and based in the US to provide social media platforms.
Because the current batch of state run media platforms are so trustful and beyond reproach. /sarc
If you’re so worried about people seeking information out of unapproved channels then maybe you’re the problem.
Good riddance.
I’m tired of tiktoks taking over every single one of my social media accounts. They are like every other page I scroll to, and they are unwanted. It’s ridiculous.
If they can ban Tiktocs, why can’t they ban the car warranty people? It has been a while though since they’ve called me, so maybe they caught the guy in Mumbai who was constantly calling me 6 months ago.
However….I don’t believe the government should actually ban things that people create, unless it poses an existential threat to the USA (like bomb making materials)
The governments job is to govern, which necessarily means imposing values, but whose?
Part of Governing means upholding laws.
Governing is most assuredly not ‘imposing values’. Imposing anything implies tyranny / dictatorship.
If Tik Tok is banned creators will just migrate to another platform. I wonder if YouTube has anything to do with this proposed ban under the guise of a “threat to national security.”