Introduction: In this article, we’ll look at the reasons behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s TikTok debut and her stance against banning the popular app, despite national security concerns raised by both Democrats and Republicans.
Key Takeaways
Despite a challenging week for TikTok on Capitol Hill, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to the app’s defense.
In her first TikTok video, the New York Democrat stated that banning the Chinese-owned app “just doesn’t feel right to me.”
In a widely viewed video, Ocasio-Cortez criticized President Biden and other politicians from both parties for hastily attempting to ban the app without enough proof of security concerns.
She argued that they were moving too fast without fully understanding the situation.
Ocasio-Cortez emphasized that banning TikTok would be an unprecedented move for the United States, as the country has never before banned a social media company from operating within its borders.
She pointed out that over 150 million Americans use the app and that banning it without concrete evidence of security threats would be a drastic step.
Rather than focusing on banning TikTok, AOC suggested that the US should implement stronger data and privacy protection laws similar to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
She argued that the real issue is the widespread data harvesting by social media companies, not just one particular app.
Ocasio-Cortez also questioned why Congress had not been briefed on any national security threats posed by TikTok, as is typically the case with issues of significant risk.
She expressed her concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the proposed ban.
In her first TikTok video, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opposed the proposed ban on the app, stating that it “just doesn’t feel right.”
Instead, she called for stronger data and privacy protection laws to address the real issue of data harvesting by social media companies.
AOC’s stance on TikTok highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to protecting user data and privacy rather than focusing solely on banning one app.
