News

TikTok bill enforced to protect the security of the U.S. government, U.S. technology

Olivia Signorile '25, Staff Writer|March 28, 2023

There is a potential tik tok ban on all devices following many debates over the security of U.S. government data. A bill has been introduced and evaluated following these debates.

While the government issued a technology ban on government devices, some lawmakers want TikTok banned entirely in the United States. Republicans introduced the bill, which provides President Biden the ability to ban TikTok. The House of Foreign Affairs discussed the bill on March 7.

U.S armed forces, Congress, the White House and about half of the states have already banned TikTok from government technology.

“According to Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the bill would give the Commerce Department the ability to impose restrictions up to and including banning TikTok and other technologies that are national security risks,” Reuters Website said. “It would also apply to foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.”

Many are concerned with this potential ban and feel it could be a violation of the First Amendment. Many teenagers feel that this proposed legislation will specifically impact them as most of the app’s users are young.

“Hearing about this recent bill raises concerns for me because I use TikTok all of the time and I don’t want it to be deleted,” Ella Harrington ’25 said.

However, some see this ban as a good way to help teens get off social media.

“

Hearing about this recent bill raises concerns for me because I use TikTok all of the time and I don’t want it to be deleted.

— Ella Harrington ’25

“I think that deleting TikTok might be a positive change in my life because it wastes a lot of time that could be spent doing more productive things,” Brooke Lawrence ’25 said.

Some experts suggest TikTok isn’t the only reason for the concern of the U.S. government’s safety.

Caitriona Fitzgerald, director of Electronic Privacy Information Center, discussed how TikTok isn’t the only reason.

“TikTok represents maybe 2% of the problem when it comes to Americans’ privacy,” Fitzgerald said in a statement from NBC News. “Without the coverings of privacy law in the U.S., there are millions of apps that are collecting and abusing Americans’ data.”