I think there's legitimate risk regarding TikTok—beyond the claims of potential spying and data collecting. When you consider some of the analysis of the rise and fall of world powers and currencies throughout history, it's things like a population's education that precede innovation, socioeconomic advancements, military growth, etc that then challenge the sitting world power.

All that to say, TikTok—and other social and entertainment mediums—have the power to influence our daily habits and the content on them can shape our thoughts, perspectives, and outlooks.

TikTok has the attention of more than half of the US, and there's real risk of a foreign adversary influencing the type of content that's prioritized in the algorithm for US (and other nations) users. It doesn't have to be overtly anti-American sentiment...it can as subtle as prioritizing mindless content in higher percentages for US user and more educational content in higher percentages for their own users to help increase the knowledge and education or their population while helping to the subdue the knowledge and education the populations of other nations.

It can be prioritizing controversial topics to sow conflict within a population. And in the US...our education is lagging, our population is already divided—politically, socially, economically—to increasingly volatile levels. And this started well before any social media. And all social media enflames these issues...but TikTok is specifically dangerous because the strings could easily be pulled by the nation most likely to unseat the current world power and currency. And I truly believe we should address that.

All that to say, I don't believe our government should ban TikTok. I think that's a dangerously slippery slope. Give our government the power to infringe on my right to use TikTok, I open the door for the next infringement. That scares me more than any danger TikTok presents.