TikTok poses a serious threat to U.S. security. There is already evidence to prove it; the social network has been accused of serving the Chinese communist regime as a tool for data spying. Even the company's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, had to submit to congressional questioning to clarify his business's activities. Despite this risk, Joe Biden has bet on hiring TikTokers.
As reported by Sophia Cai, an Axios journalist, the president has decided to recruit famous influencers from the Chinese social network because of their ability to reach millions of users. This maneuver by Biden has propaganda motivations:
NEW: President Biden is enlisting hundreds of TikTok stars and social media influencers to promote his political messaging to young voters — and may give them their own briefing room at the White House. https://t.co/1HSOH1p7z8
— Sophia Cai (@SophiaCai99) April 9, 2023
Cai clarified that Biden is determined to promote his ideology through new technologies, so much so that he has officials dedicated exclusively to social media:
A measure of the importance the White House is placing on its digital strategy: Rob Flaherty, who leads the effort, has been named assistant to the president — the same rank as the White House communications director and press secretary.
Four full-time WH staffers are focused on…
— Sophia Cai (@SophiaCai99) April 9, 2023
Meanwhile... Biden wants to ban TikTok
In the face of this major threat that TikTok proposes to citizens, the Biden administration has tried to ban the use and downloading of the social network on all devices in the country. The government demanded that Bytedance, TikTok's parent company, sell its shares in the U.S. and not be involved in determining sanctions it may face within U.S. borders.
Thus, the alleged hiring of TikTokers is absolute hypocrisy on Biden's part: TikTok would suit his own interests, but not those of national security.
Several states have already legislated against the Chinese social network. Some, such as South Dakota and Alaska, chose to ban it on government devices. Others, such as Texas, have pursued a much more restrictive policy.
TikTok: a technological superpower
Biden's hiring of TikTokers is totally counterproductive to the security of the country and its citizens. However, it is also logical that he would opt for this type of recruitment in view of the global reach of the Chinese platform.
According to Statista.com, TikTok has more than 655 million users worldwide. Without having official data, forecasts pointed out that, year after year, the platform is not projected to stop growing until 2025, when it would have close to 1 billion customers.
In the U.S., TikTok's showed its dominance in the technology sector. While it is not part of tech giants like Apple, Meta (Facebook), Google, Amazon and Microsoft, it is the superpower of its own market. As reported by Forbes earlier this year, the social network was number one in the country in 2022 with 99 million downloads on electronic devices. It was far ahead of Instagram (72 million) and Cash App (64 million).
