Amid a growing bipartisan effort to ban TikTok in the United States, some “progressive” Democrats are now crying foul, including far-left Rep. Jamaal Bowman, whom The New York Times describes as TikTok’s “lonely progressive defender.”
Incidentally, Bowman has his own TikTok account that boasts over 150,000 followers. Coincidence?
Regardless, on Wednesday the congressman held a press conference with 30 TikTok creators whose “jobs” are threatened by the potential ban.
“I just realized something. Republicans ain’t got no swag — that’s why they want to ban TikTok. Republicans ain’t got no swag. That’s the problem. And I mention that in the context of engaging young people in the democratic process,” he said at one point during the conference:
Rep. Jamaal Bowman: “Republicans ain’t got no swag. That’s why they want to ban TikTok.” pic.twitter.com/pop3P1tLQG
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 22, 2023
He continued by lecturing the American people about why TikTok should not be banned.
“TikTok as a platform has created a community and a space for free speech for 150 million Americans and counting. That includes many of the content creators that I just met with in my office. They talk to me about a sense of family. They talk to me about a sense of community,” he said.
“They talk to me about a place that is helpful to their mental health and to their sense of belonging and well-being. They talk to me about finding a place where they communicate with others like them and learn to love themselves even further. And I so appreciate them being that honest and vulnerable with me in terms of how they engage with TikTok,” he added.
Bowman also claimed that TikTok is being used for legitimate educational and commercial purposes as well.
“TikTok is also not just a space for building community, but it’s used as an educational tool, where you have professors and teachers providing content for students to engage with and learn from. That is what TikTok is for so many Americans. It’s also a place where five million small businesses are selling their products and services and making a living at a time when our economy is struggling in so many ways,” he said.
“Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok? In terms of TikTok’s behavior and its risk to national security, it poses about the same threat that apps like Facebook and Instagram and YouTube pose. So let’s not marginalize and target Tiktok. Let’s have a comprehensive conversation about federal legislation that we need to make sure that people who use social media platforms are safe and their information is secure and their information is not being shared or sold to third parties,” he added.
Listen, via TikTok, ironically enough:
@repbowman Instead of banning TikTok we need comprehensive legislation to ensure social media users’ data is safe and secure. Banning TikTok won’t solve that problem, and I was proud to stand with some of the most incredible creators. #JamaalBowman #TikTokBan ♬ original sound – JB
But critics say Bowman and other Democrat defenders of TikTok are ignoring its thousand and one drawbacks, including the national security risk it poses. Remember, the owners of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube aren’t linked to the Chinese Communist Party. The parent company of Tiktok, ByteDance, is.
In fact, back in 2020, the then-Trump administration accused ByteDance’s chief executive of being “a mouthpiece” for the Chinese Communist Party in a court filing.
“In the submission to the court, Justice Department lawyers say ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming has made public statements showing he is ‘committed to promoting’ the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party,” NPR reported at the time.
There’s also the propaganda element to consider.
“Some cybersecurity experts worry that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spread propaganda or censorship to American audience, or to exercise influence over users who may come to regret what they posted on the service,” CNBC reported in 2021.
The Chinese government is reportedly already using TikTok to spread propaganda to its own citizens:
CNN shows the results of propaganda in China. Through Tik Tok Putin is represented as strong, tough and cool. And this is how Chinese think about him. The worst part no one has told them – it’s Putin who started the war. Watch how strongly propaganda influences people & politics. pic.twitter.com/F7jjMQ7vKV
— Sviat Hnizdovskyi (@s_hnizdovskyi) March 22, 2023
Last but not least is TikTok’s negative effects on children.
“Although we don’t yet have longitudinal research, there is no question that TikTok affects the brain, and children’s brains are still developing into their early to mid-20s,” Jessica Griffin, an associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told Verywell magazine last year.
“Short videos, like candy, provide a rush of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that’s released in the pleasure center in our brains. That rush often leaves you wanting more—like kids in a candy store,” she added.
All this said, some critics do agree with Bowman’s contention that any legislation pertaining to platforms like TikTok should apply to all platforms.
“The solution ought to be comprehensive privacy protection for everyone, protecting you from American companies and Chinese companies,” Graham Webster, the editor-in-chief of the Stanford-New America DigiChina Project at the Stanford University Cyber Policy Center, told CNBC.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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