Even the left is beginning to understand the danger of the Chinese-owned app Tik Tok after months of concern.
Bloomberg news reported on July 27 that the Biden campaign sent a memo to staffers, telling them to delete the app from both their work and personal devices due to security and privacy concerns. CNN reporter Sarah Mucha stated in a tweet that she “Confirmed” that the “@JoeBiden campaign sent an email to staff asking them to remove TikTok from their work and personal devices due to security concerns, per a source in the campaign... (First reported by @tylerpager)”
Banning TikTok, at least for government employees, is not a new concept. Government officials, and even social media influencers have all criticized the app, pointing primarily to security concerns over the fact that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd., has direct ties to the Chinese government. In December, the U.S military banned the app from government-issued devices, and in March, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) proposed barring federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued phones. Even U.S. Senate attempts to question TikTok about its ties to the Chinese government have yielded no results, as TikTok failed to attend a hearing in November, and later declined to appear at a hearing in March as well.
Last month, President Donald Trump began to seriously consider banning the platform, citing national security reasons. But some in the media, including Univision and Forbes, downplayed the national security threat that TikTok poses in order to own Trump. The two outlets suggested that the ban stems from “hurt feelings” after TikTok users mounted a campaign in June to reserve as many tickets as possible to Trump’s rally in Tulsa in order to prevent actual supporters from attending.
That the Biden campaign has now told its staff to delete the app due to security and privacy reasons highlights the fact that there truly are security concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned app.
Further pointing to the seriousness of the potential threat TikTok poses, as of the writing of this report, Sen. Hawley’s bill to ban TikTok from government-issued cell phones, S.3455, passed on the Senate floor. The bill still must pass through the House once Congress reconvenes in September and then signed by Trump before it becomes law.
Conservatives are under attack. Email TikTok at feedback@tiktok.com and demand that the platform provide transparency: Companies need to design open systems so that they can be held accountable, while giving weight to privacy concerns. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
