TikTok has ceased operation in the United States, effective just hours before a new ban of the social media platform was to take effect. An alert appeared for users trying to open the app on Saturday that said it was no longer available. Critics have called the ban a free-speech infringement while supporters say national security concerns are broad.
The finding of a recent research study conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University indicates that TikTok is but just a tooling device for spreading CPC’s propaganda and influence all over the world. The study described the manipulations made by the company to ensure a much better understanding and view of the CPC and China on the platform.
Last year, Congress passed the bipartisan bill that compelled TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations by January 19 or face a ban. Although the outgoing President Joe Biden had backed the measure, the incoming President Donald Trump vowed to save TikTok.
But surprisingly, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed that to stand-the law forcing the sale that paved the way for the ban. That’s historic: TikTok is the first major social media outlet in the U.S. to be shut down under such circumstances.
The peer-reviewed research of the NCRI has raised alarms as to whether TikTok is involved in promoting pro-Chinese narratives. The study found that users who spent more time on TikTok developed a more favorable perception of China.
The study pitted TikTok against Instagram and YouTube on sensitive topics such as the Uyghurs and the Tiananmen Square massacre. It showed that TikTok is highly biased towards pro-CPC content, and the users often receive irrelevant material while searching for critical views.
Joel Finkelstein of NCRI said this was a very serious form of indoctrination that the Supreme Court needed to take seriously to stop the manipulation of American users.
