The recent ban of the social media platform TikTok and its immediate comeback just 14 hours later has sparked debates all over the world. These debates center on topics such as national security, free speech and political opportunism. Many individuals believe the whole TikTok ban scandal was planned out by President Donald Trump. On Jan. 19, the United States government enacted a ban on the popular social media video-sharing platform known as TikTok, expressing and stating their concerns over individuals’ data privacy and the potential influence of the Chinese government on Americans. However, in a very dramatic but expected turn of events, President Trump celebrated the app’s return 14 hours later by thanking TikTok and welcoming the CEO of ByteDance, a Chinese Internet technology company, to his inauguration on Jan. 20.
This rapid policy shift presents a fundamental problem: our government’s lack of understanding of what they’re doing when it comes to regulating social media platforms. While perhaps their concerns about data security are valid, the sudden ban of TikTok, followed by a fast and immediate comeback, grabs the public’s attention and signals more about President Trump and the government’s political intrigue than genuine efforts to protect the people of America and their data.
While TikTok has long been investigated for its data practices, it is not alone in collecting extensive amounts of information from its users. Other social media platforms that actually originated in the U.S., such as Facebook and Instagram, operate under similar business models as TikTok. Yet they rarely face the same level of investigation from the U.S. government. If the data privacy of the American people was truly the government’s primary concern, the next logical step would be extensive legislation targeting all major technology companies. However, rather than doing that, the government seems to be focused primarily on TikTok.
Fordham University adjunct English professor Stu Watson suggested, “The suppression of an entire arena of speech strikes me as the rare example where the term ‘censorship’ actually applies.” His concerns highlight the broader issue of bans like this setting a dangerous precedent for the restriction of free expression, despite the constitutional rights of Americans, under the guise of national security.
On the other hand, political science professor at Fordham University, Mark Schneider, has a different stance and sees some merit and validity in the ban, stating, “There was also a risk that a popular app connected to the Chinese state could shape public opinion among younger people in ways that serve the Chinese Government’s interests or interests of their allies.” However, despite this stance, Professor Schneider acknowledges that the implementation of the TikTok ban and the way it was handled was heavily flawed. Schneider added, “Going after one platform may not be the right response, but it does suggest we need to think about how to manage a few large platforms shaping so much information people receive.” Professor Schneider believes that the U.S. government should focus more on broader regulations of data protection rather than targeting one specific platform alone, such as TikTok.
The whole TikTok incident has also highlighted the fact that our lawmakers aren’t as well educated on the digital world as they claim to be. As Professor Watson pointed out, “It reveals how little our congressional leaders understand the internet/app space they are attempting to regulate.” This lack of digital understanding among U.S. policymakers raises many different concerns about their ability to effectively regulate technology in the future.
Many young voters, especially the Gen Z voting bloc, are likely to see the handling of the TikTok ban as something that was politically motivated and orchestrated by President Trump. The app is more than just a social media platform for this younger generation; it is a cultural hub, a source of income for many creators on the platform and an important tool for global communication among these young individuals. The government’s inconsistent stance destroys trust and suggests that the political interests of the government outweigh the concerns of millions of American users.
The controversy over TikTok also reveals the influence of “crony capitalism” on policy-making, as shown by Lloyd Green in his recent opinion piece for “The Guardian.” Green states that “Trump’s delay contravenes the law Congress passed last spring, which set a 19 January 2025 divestment deadline.” This delay, which was bypassed without meaningful progress toward the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, raises critical concerns about the prioritization of personal and political interests over threats to national security. Green further argues that “For Trump, money, votes and vengeance appear to have supplanted national interest,” stating President Trump’s ongoing relationship with influential figures that have a stake in ByteDance. In other words, these actions undermine public trust in bipartisan legislation and the Supreme Court’s rulings, further showing us no difference between policy and personal gain.
Furthermore, there have been international repercussions of the TikTok ban that cannot be overlooked. Mark Sellman from “The Times” truly emphasizes this global economic impact when he stated, “It’s going to directly impact the UK economy as brands already selling on TikTok Shop in the U.S. will have to retreat, and those that were eyeing up the opportunity will be unable to address this 340 million potential customers.” Sellman later elaborates that many businesses and influences based in Britain, as well as other businesses around the world, rely heavily on the U.S. market for their revenue and also for their audience reach. The sudden nature of the ban has also left these TikTok creators scared due to the fact that their careers are tied to TikTok.
Moving forward, what we need is thoughtful and well-informed legislation that addresses the broader issue of data privacy and its transparency across all social media platforms, not just one targeted app. Professor Watson suggests that “large-scale data privacy reforms that regulate the way all social media companies use the data they accumulate” are essential rather than simply singling out individual apps based on their own personal geopolitical concerns.
In the end, the TikTok ban is a cautionary tale about the risky intersection of politics and technology. It underscores the urgent need for U.S. policymakers to engage with technology experts to fully understand the social media platforms they seek to regulate. They should create comprehensive policies that balance national security with the people’s individual freedoms without risking their right to free speech. Without these implementations, the U.S. risks further alienating young users and undermining the credibility of future technology-related regulations.
Tahiyat Raisa, FCRH’28, is an English Major on the pre-law track from Queens, New York.
