Last January, one of the world’s most popular apps, TikTok, went dark in the United States for about 14 hours. Users frantically searched for alternatives and VPNs to get around the entertainment gap and content creators everywhere panicked.
At the time, no one knew how long TikTok would be banned for or if it would ever come back.
During the ban, users were faced with an eerie message saying, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
While many found the phrasing of this statement suspicious and even claimed their algorithms had changed to no longer show protests or political language against the current administration, TikTok nonetheless has remained popular and continued to thrive after the ban was lifted and postponed. Complaints died down over time, and life on the app went back to normal — at least until this year.
Trump signed an executive order requiring that TikTok be primarily owned by U.S. citizens to preserve Americans’ use of the popular platform, a move that led to the app going dark last year. The main argument for this negotiation was data privacy, as the president and some users were concerned about the security of their data at ByteDance’s Beijing headquarters. NPR wrote that “TikTok has long said that it stores U.S. user data within the U.S. and does not comply with Chinese government content moderation requirements,” but “in July it acknowledged that non-U.S. employees did in fact have access to U.S. user data.”
As of this month, TikTok has officially complied with the order, selling a large portion of its platform to major, cutthroat tech companies such as Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX.
How much data is shared, and if any of it is sold, can be debated. However, users now face a whole new challenge to their data privacy fears — the U.S. government. Oracle, a major American tech company, is headed by Larry Ellison, a known supporter of President Trump.
As documented by the Congressional Record, the Senate discussed President Trump’s urge in December to “deny States the right to regulate artificial intelligence through an Executive order.” Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed that this order was made on “behalf of [Trump’s] Big Tech billionaire backers,” saying in regards to Ellison that “the second richest person on Earth, who is investing huge amounts of money into AI, predicted an AI-powered surveillance state where ‘citizens will be on their best behavior because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on.’”
Ellison, whose AI investments are being pushed by the president’s position of power and who hinted at AI being used for civilian surveillance, now oversees almost 200 million TikTok users’ data, algorithmic recommendations and content moderation through Oracle. The connections between Ellison’s ability to track and manipulate users and their data and his references to a surveilled nation through AI are extremely concerning, especially given current events in the United States — which are partly caused by the political party he’s affiliated with. Ellison’s control of TikTok conflicts with the political ideology of the millions who use the platform to advocate against the current administration’s behavior.
Recently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti, American citizens who used their First Amendment right to assemble and express their views through peaceful protest. TikTok has been the main platform for spreading bystander footage of events like these.
Americans deserve access to information about evidence of wrongdoing, whether from personal recordings or widespread news coverage, without fearing silencing or the threat of surveillance of those who share it. However, some TikTok users, alongside Democratic California State Sen. Scott Wiener, have already reported suspicious changes to content, including odd “glitches” in politically deviant content and messages, which may be signs of “content moderation” under the new management. Wiener called TikTok “state-controlled media” in a post on X after TikTok videos about ICE received no views, while others showed unexpected, uncommon pop-ups saying the videos are “ineligible for recommendation.”
Even Billie Eilish has shared her own brother Finneas’ video following the shooting of Renée Good. Despite his immense following, his video received only 114 views, a figure Eilish hinted at as evidence of TikTok’s shadow-banning of users who oppose current ICE activity. While it is technically possible that these very similar posts could be affected by algorithmic tricks by coincidence, it is also possible that censorship is occurring.
This change is not just a concern for Democrats or “anti-Trumpers” who don’t support ICE. It is one of the biggest indicators of media monitoring within the United States in the 21st century.
In an increasingly digital world where access to data and influence means power, limited access to political, international and live information for American citizens restricts their ability to understand the world around them.
Right now, as a country, we are suffering from major collective stress, and rightfully so. Nonetheless, it is important to stay up to date with information that does not come solely from word of mouth or opinion, which was one of TikTok’s greatest strengths in its showcasing. Confusion and information overload leave us exhausted and the constant stimulation TikTok provides could be holding us back from becoming a stronger, more composed group to fight administrative malfeasance. The United States panicked when TikTok was banned, but maybe the short time the app was gone was for the best.
Changes to the app are still underway, and the current ownership raises horrific ideas about what the future of social media could look like. However, if we abandon TikTok, it could spark a call to action for many Americans.
Oracle’s ownership does not have to be a doomsday alarm. It can be a push to less screen time and more in-person advocacy of major issues. This “new” TikTok will hopefully encourage people to delete the app, take away Oracle’s power to surveil the multitudes of users in this country and encourage real documentation of and action against the struggles we face today.
Merrigan Butcher, a Pipe Dream opinions intern, is a sophomore majoring in anthropology.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.