The Beginning of the End of TikTok?

I’ve never been a fan of TikTok.

Maybe it’s because I’m generally skeptical of social media (Yeah, I know, I’m a journalist. I’m in my early 20s. I grew up in the internet age. Call me an anomaly.); or perhaps it’s because I grew up in the Midwest next to one of the most secure military bases in the world and have a deeply entrenched skepticism of anything owned by or located in China. (WATCH: The Spectacle Ep. 79: New Tech Is Woke. Just Look at Gemini.)

Either way, I’m a supporter of the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent vote to ban the social media platform from app stores and American web services unless its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, sells it.

The bill has received bipartisan support, which usually means one of two things is true: Either the bill is bad news all around, or the problem is so obvious even Democrats are willing to do something about it. While it will likely be challenged in the Senate (courtesy of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer), President Joe Biden says he’s willing to sign it into law. Is it the best thing we could have come up with? Probably not. Is it a step in the right direction? Yes.

The two things lawmakers are (for once, rightfully) concerned about with TikTok are Chinese propaganda and data. “The bill is … [about] propaganda and foreign propaganda pitting Americans against Americans or prioritizing certain hashtag subject matter that is problematic” at the behest of Beijing, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) said. (READ MORE: Apple’s Vision Pro Heralds Doomsday)

TikTok collects tons of user data (although it does store U.S. user data on a cloud rather than in China). It’s unlikely that Beijing is all that interested in the personal data of you, your kids and grandkids, or even famous TikTok influencers. It could be, but that seems impractical. There are 170 million Americans on the app, and that’s a lot of data to crunch. The issue isn’t individual data; it’s mass data.

Beijing wants to know what Americans are interested in, what we’re buying, what we’re watching, and the social trends we subject ourselves to. They want to know what makes Americans tick. (So would I, but I don’t have thousands of companies infiltrating American society at my beck and call.)

Could we see TikTok banned? It’s certainly possible, although it will depend on the Senate. ByteDance has already spent some $21.3 million on federal lobbying since 2019, and you can be sure it’ll continue to pour funding into lobbying efforts in the Senate in the coming months. (READ MORE from Aubrey Gulick: Social Media Is Bad for Children, so Congress Put on a Show)

If I’m being honest, my glee over TikTok’s potential downfall has less to do with its Chinese influence and more to do with the impact it’s had on our culture and my generation’s attention span. But I’m also biased. I’m horrible at the kinds of dancing popular on TikTok — I can swing with a partner any day, but ask me to jump around to pop music and I’ll make a fool of myself.

This article is an excerpt from The American Spectator’s Spectator P.M. newsletter. Subscribe today to read future letters from our staff!