TikTok goes to court

TikTok has recently faced controversy in the United States due to potential security threats.

The app, owned by Chinese internet-technology company ByteDance, has come under fire after worries from the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission that the parent company will share users’ data with the Chinese government.

In 2017, the Chinese government passed the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, a law that requires companies to submit data relevant to the nation’s security, which many worry could threaten the United States’s security.

Many are concerned about the data that TikTok can collect, which includes an individual’s device, location, IP address, search history, messages, viewership as well as inferable demographic details such as age and gender.

More controversially, the app updated its privacy policy in 2021 to include its ability to collect biometric data, like face and voiceprints.

TikTok raised concerns when ByteDance admitted that it fired four employees who accessed data on journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times that broke stories about the alleged suspicious behavior.

As of January 2023, 28 states have chosen to ban the app on government-issued devices.

Most recently, Con- gress members have introduced two forms of federal legislation to alter the impact of TikTok: the DATA Act and the RESTRICT Act.

The Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries Act, or DATA Act, if passed, will give the Biden administration the ability to evaluate and regulate apps and services that could pose a risk to the data security of the nation.

The far more popular legislation, the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act, would grant the administration the ability to investigate any technology used by more than 1 million people in the nation, and would apply to the nations of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

The bill gives the government the ability to ban any application that could threaten national security and has received support from 18 senators, nine Democrats and nine Republicans.

Critics of the bill question the power and wonder how the legislation could affect other foreign interactions, such as the use of VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, and Bitcoin, which many have argued limits the freedom of speech.

Since the app’s introduction in 2016 after its merger with Musical.ly, TikTok has held an influence unlike any previous social media site.

With over 150 million monthly users in the United States, the accelerated cycle has created jor Stella Evans. “I do not think that anybody with any sort of criminal record should be able to run or anything.”

“I think, because he is so old, he should not even be running again,” Casey said. “Personally, if he is being indicted, he should not even be running again. It is just too much for one person to deal with.”

Many believe that it would be impossible to separate these 34 charges against Trump from his political campaign, even though they have nothing to do with his campaign.

“I think when it comes to being president, or that high of a political figure, your personal life becomes your political life, and that is just how it works now,” Casey said. a new wave of marketing, influencers, trends and even interrupted the format of the music industry.

“I think that, to an extent, you could separate the charges from his campaign, because he is still a person,” said Evans.

It is expected that Trump will continue campaigning for the 2024 election despite the charges he currently faces.

Due to its impact, Generation Z, out of all age groups, is most opposed to the bill, likely due to their usage of the app in comparison to older generations.

Abby Helgesen, a freshman history major, described her thoughts on banning TikTok during a period of many complicated topics.

“I feel like it’s just kinda ridiculous to be focusing on that,” Helgesen said. “There’s a lot more important issues.”

In a hearing last week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress to ease the fears of lawmakers.

Representatives argued that the app uses addictive technology to increase profits and puts security at risk.

The Biden administration is now giving the owners of ByteDance an ultimatum: sell their stake in the app or risk a ban in the U.S.

The ban of TikTok also includes the political algorithm of the app, which may swing Americans from different standpoints.

Many argue that the lack of moderation creates a hostile political environment that fosters extremism in certain communities.

In 2019, outlets found that TikTok was directly censoring and limiting videos displaying different topics viewed as damaging to the Chinese Communist Party.

TikTok has blocked videos related to human rights issues, such as Hong Kong protests, Tibetan independence and Xinjiang internment camps.

Despite the many reasons lawmakers have crafted to justify the bill and seeming ban, is the banning of TikTok an event we will see in the future?

In the past, the Trump administration attempted to ban the app with a similar ultimatum, but the endeavor was unsuccessful.

In 2021, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced Congress regarding statements made by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who called for regulation of the social media app due to their disregard for user security.

Facebook did not face questions of bans despite the concerns of users and political figures.

TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas expressed her feelings about the difference in response toward TikTok and apps like Facebook.

“We’re committed to providing a safe, secure platform that fosters an inclusive place for our amazing, diverse communities to call home,” Pappas said. “It’s a shame today’s conversation felt rooted in xenophobia.”

Aaliyah Turman, a sophomore management information systems major, talked about the likeliness of the bill passing.

“I don’t think it will go through,” Turman said. “That would set a precedent with apps, but I think they’re just trying to scare them a bit.”

This is not the first circumstance involving the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, or CFIUS, tar- geting apps from China. Grindr, a popular location-based LGBTQ dating app, was previously owned by Kunlun, one of China’s largest mobile gaming companies.

Due to security concerns, the CFIUS required the app to be sold, and Grindr is now owned by San Vicente Acquisition.

Numerous countries have banned TikTok from government devices, including France, Belgium and Canada.

Although uncommon, other nations have permanently banned the app from downloads, including Afghanistan and India, for issues with values and security concerns.

The fate of TikTok is unknown, but users do not seem to be ready to accept the possibility of a permanent ban.

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The Aztecs only scored 12 field goals and had four assists through the first 30 minutes of the game.

“I knew the game was over in the first half,” said sophomore business major Payne Wilson. “UConn came out dominant, just like every other game, and you could just tell that San Diego State needed a miracle if they wanted to win the game.”

The Huskies maintained a double-digit lead through the first ten minutes of the second half. UConn had a 49-36 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the game.

San Diego State still trailed by double digits until the Aztecs cut the lead down to six with a 9-0 run with eight minutes left.

Keshad Johnson had 14 points for San Diego State, who shot only 33% and made their first appearance in the national championship game.

The Aztecs were down by only five when Jordan Hawkins, who finished with 16 points, hit a three-pointer at the top of the key three minutes later, and the Huskies put the game out of reach with their own 9-0 run to put the lead back to 14.

“I had Alabama winning it all, but once they were eliminated, I started cheering for FAU to win it all,” said sophomore philosophy major Alex Paparo. “It was really exciting to see a nine seed make it so far, and it’s a shame that they lost in the Final Four to a buzzer beater.”

As for people’s brack- ets, nearly everyone had theirs broken by the Sweet Sixteen round. According to the NCAA, only 1.18% of brackets had SDSU in the Final Four, and only 2.08% of brackets chose the Huskies to take the championship home.

“I had Houston beating Alabama in the championship, so my bracket was done after the Elite Eight round,” said junior accounting major Tucker Sutton. “It was really sad being out of the race that early. It made the rest of the games not as fun to watch.”

This year’s tournament was full of excitement and big upsets, which is the perfect storm for a March Madness tournament. This year showed that anything is possible, no matter what seed your team is.