AOC slams TikTok ban talk in first-ever Chinese app post

Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez posted her first-ever TikTok and used it to criticize plans to ban the Chinese video-sharing app over fears of surveillance.

AOC accused politicians of “putting the cart before the horse” and urged them to allow the more than 150 million US users to stay on the app.

This week, TikTok came under increasing scrutiny from the Biden administration after Canada and the European Union banned the use of the app on issued mobile devices. by the government.

The warrants stem from fears that Beijing could force TikTok to hand over data on its international users.

In the video, which has over 1.5 million views, AOC said, “Hey everyone, this is Rep AOC and this is my first TikTok.

The AOC accused politicians of ‘putting the cart before the horse’ and urged them to allow the more than 150 million US users to stay on the app

“Now it’s not just my first TikTok, but it’s a TikTok on TikTok.

“This week, the CEO of TikTok came to testify before Congress amid growing rumors and talk of a nationwide ban on the app.

‘Do I believe TikTok should be banned? No.’

She explains that no such sweeping ban on apps has ever been made in the United States before.

‘Why shouldn’t TikTok be banned? First of all, I think it’s important to discuss how this would be an unprecedented decision,” she said.

“The United States has never before banned a social media company from existing, operating within our borders.

“And it’s an app that has over 150 million Americans on it.”

She adds that banning the app does “not solve the heart of the problem”.

AOC is known for its social media presence, having garnered 8.6 million followers on Instagram and 13.4 million on Twitter

“Major social media companies are allowed to collect treasure troves of deeply personal data about you that you don’t know about without really any significant regulation.

“In fact, the United States is one of the only developed countries in the world that does not have significant data protection or privacy laws.”

She goes on to point out that the EU has strict laws on General Data Protection Regulation, unlike the US.

“If we want to make a decision as important as banning TikTok, and we think – or someone thinks – that there is really important information that the public deserves to know why such a decision would be justified, these information should be shared,” she said.

TikTok is owned by Chinese internet company Byte dance and came to the United States in 2016.

It immediately became hugely popular, amassing hundreds of millions of followers and reaching a level of success never before seen by a Chinese app in the United States.

But concerns about its safety first surfaced under the Trump administration against the backdrop of the US-China tariff wars.

Currently, the Justice Department is investigating allegations that the company spied on US tech journalists.

Democrats and Republicans were united in the row, with lawmakers on both sides criticizing the company’s chief executive during this week’s hearing.

However, AOC, 33, is among a handful of progressive Democrats breaking their party line to voice support for TikTok.

Congress’s defense of the platform was led by Jamaal Bowman, one of its closest allies.

Bowman – who appeared alongside a crowd of TikTok creators protesting the ban this week – claims there is no evidence that Chinese authorities are manipulating the platform, as he has warned against the “xenophobic and anti-Chinese rhetoric”.

“Let me say this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told the House Services Committee hearing. armed.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the progressive New Yorker leading the defense of TikTok, framed the decision to ban it as a First Amendment problem and a mark of xenophobia

TikTok app is one of the most popular social media apps in USA

In its video, AOC appears to echo that sentiment, alleging that members of Congress were not made aware of any security risks around TikTok.

Tensions reached a boiling point this week as TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced a discussion over its security and harmful content.

Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, delivered the opening salvo: “Mr. Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security. TikTok has repeatedly chosen a path for more control, more surveillance, and more manipulation.

Chew retorted, “Let me say this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,”

AOC is known for her prolific social media presence – although she hasn’t posted on TikTok before.

She has over 8.6 million followers on Instagram and 13.4 million on Twitter.