Public opinion on the TikTok deal is marked by significant distrust towards the government's motives, particularly towards the prior administration's connections with China. Many see the deal as prioritizing personal benefit over genuine national security concerns, while others express mixed feelings about balancing security with individual freedoms.

Trump Administration

U.S. Government

TikTok

TikTok is popular with young men, of course, but it is vastly more popular with young women. I know a good amount of young men who don't use it all, myself included.

Lithuanianduke

The reason not to ban or forbid something, is very often that you DO have a form of control.

ShangBao

It seems to me like the reason it wasn’t banned is because it can be an incredible propaganda tool. Remember when they were about to ban it, but they pulled back and TikTok left a message seriously glazing Trump? I have no doubts that there’s more administrative collaboration and propaganda being pushed behind the scenes. social media has been a very effective form of radicalization and support building for this administration.

phws

The number of people I know who have been radicalized to extreme views by six-second dancing videos is insane

PersistentHillman

[deleted]

I am in the Ryan McBeth camp on this one. Tiktok is a potential cyber weapon that can and to some degree likely IS used by China to spread misinformation. Now think what China would use it for once they invade Taiwan?

Noncrediblepigeon

Political suicide means nothing anymore. 

Trump got elected twice committing "political suicide" on a weekly basis.

Jack-of-Hearts-7

I really don't get why exposing political extremists to normies would be a bad idea, sure it would be annoying at first, but it would deradicalize a lot of them.

Monkepeepee030605

Honestly I think this is a pretty well rounded take

WaaaaghsRUs

How about handing it over to anyone BUT billionaires ….like come on

Sufficient-Bid1279

National security as long as Trump is the nation. Protecting the people as long as the people are Trump. 

This dude is a single trick pony and anyone who thinks he’s helping anyone but himself hasn’t paid any attention to who he’s been since the fuckin ‘80s. I can’t even say he’s been overtly duplicitous…he’s his authentic self everywhere he goes and people still make money reporting how surprising he is?

Shumina-Ghost

Isn’t Ellison like 90 years old already? Maybe it’s time for him to act his age?

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The location of its operation is extremely concerning. The CCP could seize millions of American citizens sensitive data at any time.

I’m fairly certain it will be completely banned if it cannot be sold soon.

https://x.com/AP/status/1880066098260808078

SnooFloofs1778

Anything under the influence by the CCP should be considered a security threat. And since TikTok does not want to under US jurisdiction, the US government should ban it from the country unless something changed.

But I doubt Trump will follow through considering Yass kissed his ass enough.

InteractionFull1001

Canadian gouvernement workers cannot have tiktok in their phones, so I'd say so.

Due_Comedian5633

Yes. Especially with how they target kids with their algorithm.

Dr__Lube

Trump reversed course on wanting to ban it a long time ago, before the ban even passed congress. 

Biden also wanted to ban it and now he says he won't enforce the ban.

Anyway multiple things are true. TikTok is likely a national security risk and banning it the way they are is still wrong and a violation of free speech and a dangerous precedent especially if they aren't going to tell us HOW its a national security risk. Should we just believe the government that its a national security risk? The govt that nobody trusts?

Apparently SCOTUS was shown classified documents proving it was a national security risk, I want to see that.

Inksd4y

No, not in any real capacity. The "threat" is to America companies that want its market share. If a genuine threat existed, the ban would have been a wide reaching one against Chinese media/companies. The fact that it was a targeted ban shows it was just a reaction to the popularity of TikTok not what it was doing.

DieFastLiveHard

Yes. Trump [inviting the TikTok CEO](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tiktok-ceo-attend-inauguration-front-row-seat-trumps-invite) to the inauguration signals to me he got paid off. 

It's not politically popular to ban TikTok and the presidents seem to be playing hot potato with it, but it's still a security threat.

NoSky3

Yes, it's potentially a national security threat. But I believe the individual liberty to use whatever app we goddamn please, and choose who we share our data with supercedes that. 

Yes, Trump has flip-flopped on this issue. Yes, he was wrong before. And yes, the change in his stance was for a stupid, nakedly narcissistic reason. But regardless of all that, his current stance is the correct one.

M3taBuster

No it's not. It's more of a personal security threat. But to deny Americans the right to not care about where their information goes should be protected by the 1st Amendment. I hate tiktok and I think it's useless garbage, but to ban it is unAmerican.

iceandfire215

There's a loophole in the tictok ban ware personal in the state department can use the app to promote American intrest overseas. If the us goverment is supposedly allowing memebrs of the state department to use the app. Then I don't take the national security risk seriously .....

Jerry_The_Troll

Yes because the Chinese Communist Party  require that ByteDance (the owners) comply with all the CCP Intelligence services regarding sharing data from their American users. 

The reason Trump is now for it is because there is a move for Americans to buy control. Without that control Tik Tok will be banned in the US.

StedeBonnet1

If tiktok's parent company Bytedance being based in China is a national security risk, then why is it okay all of our phones are made in China? Wouldn't that also be a national security risk??

GranolaCrunchAndy

I think the incoming administration is trying to figure out some sort of solution to the problem. The issues with Tik Tok...as I understand them...is that it either is (or has the capabilities of) collecting massive vital data for the CCP. In addition, I have read some good arguments about algorithms that target young people with disinformation and propaganda in an effort to destabilize the US and the western world. Granted, most Tik Tok contributors are probably benign and in no way a threat to anyone. But, the same could be said for everyone flying on 9/11.  

We have to be smart and understand that threats to our nation are coming at us from every conceivable angle and from some very clever and devious people.

worldisbraindead

Three letter agencies are butthurt because when there’s spying to be done on Americans, they had better be the beneficiaries. 

Same reason the gov doesn’t like the Mafia - that’s OUR protection money they’re taking.

While it’s not good to allow the CCP manipulation control of big social media platforms consumed in the US.  It’s also not great to allow the US gov to have manipulation control of all social media.

So to answer the question, yes it’s a threat to the American people, regardless of who controls it.

ZarBandit

The Trump administration is moving to allow Oracle to manage TikTok's algorithm, addressing national security concerns linking the app's Chinese ownership to data privacy issues in the U.S.

TikTok Deal and National Security

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