Ban TikTok: Don’t Wait for Donald Trump

Before Donald Trump even takes office, he is asking the Supreme Court to let him make the first foreign policy mistake of his second term. The Court should decline that invitation.

We have repeatedly editorialized in favor of banning the Chinese company ByteDance from operating TikTok in the United States. (See here, here, here, here, and here). There are three reasons to do so. First, TikTok is a tool for the collection of massive data on Americans by the Chinese government. Second, TikTok enables the Chinese government to extend its reach in suppressing criticism and internal dissent outside its own borders. Third, TikTok is a lever by which the Chinese government can manipulate American public opinion to its advantage, and our disadvantage. These are all compelling justifications to prevent it from being owned or controlled by a Chinese company pervasively controlled by the Chinese police state.

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Before Donald Trump even takes office, he is asking the Supreme Court to let him make the first foreign policy mistake of his second term. The Court should decline that invitation.

We have repeatedly editorialized in favor of banning the Chinese company ByteDance from operating TikTok in the United States. (See here, here, here, here, and here). There are three reasons to do so. First, TikTok is a tool for the collection of massive data on Americans by the Chinese government. Second, TikTok enables the Chinese government to extend its reach in suppressing criticism and internal dissent outside its own borders. Third, TikTok is a lever by which the Chinese government can manipulate American public opinion to its advantage, and our disadvantage. These are all compelling justifications to prevent it from being owned or controlled by a Chinese company pervasively controlled by the Chinese police state.