A TikTok Ban Is Not For “Security.” It’s to Silence Young Americans
James Oatis
He/Him
Staff Writer
1/19/25
In the 1950s, Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy led a personal crusade against communists in the United States. The event, known as the second red scare, saw many Americans’ free speech rights violated as they were made to testify against the House Un-American Activities Committee. The supposed motive for this violation of rights was to “preserve national security” against the influence of the Soviet Union and other communist states. Seventy years later, the United States government still has not learned from McCarthyism and its policies, as the Chinese social media platform TikTok was banned in the United States over security concerns.
According to an article by Forbes before its ban on January 18th and 19th, “62% of the 18 to 24 [year old] demographic” used TikTok as a resource to search the internet, even ahead of Google. For many young people TikTok is the platform to express opinions on issues such as politics, social issues, and other topics to their peers. This allowed many to congregate and exercise their free speech rights on their own virtual soapbox. But now, the United States government has censored one of the most popular sources for youth news and entertainment, under security pretenses, mimicking past censorship actions by the United States.
Using security as a pretense to benefit the United States interests is not a new concept. The ban of TikTok may serve ulterior motives for the United States that cannot be accomplished due to the supreme court likely striking them down. According to Axios, “Sen. Mitt Romney said support for a nationwide ban on TikTok is connected to the “overwhelming” volume of “mentions of Palestinians” on the popular platform,” theorizing a ban of TikTok could be censorship on the actions of Israel during the Gaza conflict. The BBC also theorizes “If the rest of the West follows it will reduce the money flowing into the company and curtail development of new features, further entrenching the dominance of US platforms like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and Snapchat.” This creates a profit incentive for American companies and may be the reason behind the ban. This is an example of unfair business practices and a violation of the Fifth amendments Eminent Domain clause. Despite this, the Supreme Court has failed to uphold the constitution it claims to protect with the outcome of the TikTok v. Garland decision.
Without a doubt, the United States ban of TikTok is a concerning sign for a nation that prides itself on the free exchange of ideas. America has seemed to forget the words of one of its most important founding fathers. Ben Franklin once said on the topic of surrendering rights for security: “Those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”