AOC makes first TikTok video to argue in opposition to banning controversial app

Social media-loving socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argued in opposition to banning TikTok Saturday, in her first video on the controversial app — just days after disturbing testimony on Capitol Hill detailed the corporate’s ties to China and its failure to police dangerous content material for underage customers.

“Do I consider TikTok must be banned? No,” the lefty New York congresswoman says within the clip, posted early Saturday.

“America has by no means earlier than banned a social media firm from existence, from working in our borders and that is an app that has over 150 million Individuals on it,” she continued.

The favored Chinese language-owned video-sharing app has drawn bipartisan concern over doable threats to nationwide safety.

Lawmakers have mentioned they’re frightened about American information falling into the arms of the Chinese language authorities and that the app may very well be used to advertise pro-Beijing propaganda and misinformation.

The Division of Justice can also be at present investigating claims the corporate spied on a number of US tech journalists.

Nonetheless, AOC insisted that banning TikTok “doesn’t actually tackle the core of the problems” and as an alternative shifted the priority to US laws.

“Main social media firms are allowed to gather troves of deeply private information about you that you simply don’t find out about with none actually vital regulation in anyway,” she mentioned.

“America is without doubt one of the solely developed nations on the earth that has no vital information or privateness safety legal guidelines on the books.”

The Queens/Bronx Congresswoman additionally watered down the alleged nationwide safety dangers and argued that in the event that they had been so severe, Congress would have acquired a categorised briefing on them — which they haven’t.

“It simply doesn’t really feel proper to me,” the 33-year-old lawmaker mentioned.

TikTok is already banned on federal authorities units, with New York currently considering whether or not to observe the identical instance for state government-issued electronics. Additionally it is not allowed in China.

AOC’s sizzling take comes after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled by lawmakers throughout a closely-watched Home listening to on Thursday.