Chinese Big Brother

Thank you President Trump for banning the Tik tok app. Tik Tok is a social media platform run by the Chinese Communist government. Tik Tok is popular with youth but their affection is misplaced: A thirteen year old girl uploads a video of her dancing in her parents’ kitchen, and it gets ten thousand likes and three hundred positive comments. She thinks she’s a star, but really the person-less algorithm is repeatedly liking her video. And the vapid comments like “Great dance moves.” or “You have a cool style.” are pre-entered into the app before the girl ever kicks a leg. If your comment thread reads like the messages printed on those chalky candy hearts we used to give on Valentine’s Day, your video may be on an algorithm. If you are suddenly popular, be suspicious.

But is fooling gullible teens (and adults) reason enough to ban the app? Turns out Tik Tok is also a tool for spying. If you have the app on your phone the Chinese Communist Party knows all your buying habits, your political views, how far you travel everyday, who your friends are, how many guns you own, what your job is, whether or not you are a fan of Bill Whittle, etc. Valuable information if we ever go to war. India already banned the app. Maybe other countries will follow.