Member-only story
Beyond TikTok: The Future of Foreign-Owned Social Media in the U.S.
Social media companies have become a powerful meeting place for people to connect nowadays to find relevant information relevant to their lives. In addition, not only does it serve as a means of communication but geographic boundaries disappear via the platform, and your data represents power in the eyes of the powerful.
The TikTok ban stems from Donald Trump’s first term and it was halted at the time. Part of it was due to a group of TikTokers interfering with registrations for a campaign event for re-election and the other “national security” concerns. Fast forward four years later, the ban passed and was included in the aids package and under the legislation that passed as “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA).”
Dr. Lance Hunter, professor of International Relations and faculty member within the Master of Arts in Intelligence at Augusta University, explains in depth why TikTok present in the United States and its significant influence is a cause for worry.