TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing app that has taken the world by storm. The app gained widespread popularity in mid-2019, and it has continued to become a part of users’ daily lives. With videos ranging from comedy to music reviews, anyone and everyone can make high-quality videos for the public to see. But even with its massive popularity, TikTok has come under fire beginning in early 2020 when it was accused of stealing personal information from U.S. citizens and clandestinely sharing that information with Chinese government intelligence. With a detrimental accusation threatening to have the app taken down in the U.S., TikTok has all of us asking ourselves the same question: should TikTok be banned from the U.S.? 

Banning TikTok can be considered a violation of our human rights because prohibiting any app from  public availability or use is an extreme and unnecessary action. Take, for example, Facebook. The popular social media platform has been through multiple breaches of security, yet was simply required to better regulate their security. The major difference here is TikTok is based  in China and Facebook in the U.S. TikTok has gone through extreme lengths to ensure American public safety, hiring hundreds of American employees and leaders specifically to handle safety, security, and public policy. They have even released transparency reports to provide more information on how they handle and moderate user information. They have provided statements time and time again to assure the public that user data does not go to the Chinese government, and instead is run through the United States and Singapore. They are also reportedly looking for American investors to sell a majority stake of the company. With all this being done, how can TikTok be a threat to American security? 

By banning TikTok, a community and a safe space for many would-be dissolved. TikTok is often looked down upon as a waste of time, but it brings many people together. Many Teens have found a safe space on the app, using it to watch videos of people they can honestly relate to. That’s the beauty of this app, it gives the most common citizen a platform to reach out to others like themselves. Millions of people log on to TikTok to laugh and to find people who are just like them, whereas other social media apps like Instagram often have users displaying a life of perfection and excitement that only few can relate to. Tik Tok is the opposite of that. It’s an app where people can be themselves and gain a following by doing so. On TikTok, the more different, the better. 

.Although admittedly TikTok has had problems with security, it’s no different than any other popular social media app that we use today. Protecting user information is not absurd when it comes to social media apps. So instead of banning one and keeping the other, what the government should be focusing on is regulating these issues with all apps. TikTok should not be banned, but instead be an example of how to handle security issues.