While California fights wildfires, school shootings have reached their highest levels since 1966, inflation continues to drive up the cost of living, and an opioid epidemic claims thousands of lives each year, the U.S. government has been hard at work addressing its nation’s challenges — in other words, banning TikTok.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has claimed that TikTok raises “national security concerns,” accusing its CEO, Shou Zi Chew, of enabling the theft of American data. As 170 million users received the notification that the TikTok ban had taken effect on Jan. 19 while opening up their beloved app, the government’s decision raised pressing questions about the real intentions behind the ban. While concerns over national security are said to be the reason for the ban, the decision not only raises suspicions about the motivations of lawmakers who could benefit financially from the move but also shows America’s skewed priorities. The TikTok ban demonstrates where many of our governmental leaders’ priorities lie — and it’s not with the people.
At a time when millions of Americans face life-altering hardships, politicians have spent around five years focusing on banning an app. This move does little to nothing to address real safety concerns and even less to solve daily problems. Instead, it reveals that lawmakers prioritize financial gain and political theater over the well-being of their citizens.
The selective and inconsistent nature of the American government’s safety concerns already calls its credibility into question. If the government were truly concerned about safety from a higher authoritative power, then platforms like X — which recently updated its privacy policy to allow the collection of all user data, including posts, to train AI models, potentially sharing this data with third-party “collaborators” — would face similar scrutiny. This policy change raises significant concerns about user privacy and data ownership, and, instead, TikTok has become the primary target of government action. This inconsistency reveals that the TikTok ban is not about American safety but likely unethical, ulterior motives.
The ban also raises questions about many lawmakers’ true motivations. Many members of Congress who have supported the TikTok ban are invested in Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Congressman and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, who introduced the ban, purchased significant Meta stock in March 2024. With the TikTok ban in effect, a substantial portion of its user base would likely have moved over to Meta’s platforms, such as Instagram, now with “Reels,” benefiting those lawmakers’ investments.
This conflict of interest speaks volumes. While the government claims the ban is solely about the safety of its citizens, it also conveniently boosts the value of the companies with their very own investments. Meanwhile, approximately two million creators rely on TikTok as a primary source of income. This ban is of clear self-interest and shows a governmental priority of private interest over public safety.
While this goes on, the United States faces numerous life-threatening challenges that require serious attention from the government. For instance, rising health care costs continue to be a significant burden, with the United States spending more on health care than any other developed nation, often without achieving better health outcomes. Income inequality continues to expand with 52 percent of American families and 88 percent of single-parent households lacking sufficient income to cover necessities and save for emergencies or retirement. As the housing crisis continues to worsen, 22.4 million renter households spend over 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities while homelessness has reached a record 653,100 people in 2023. Furthermore, the opioid epidemic has reached deadly levels, taking around 5,000 lives in New York state in 2020 alone.
Instead of addressing these urgent issues that directly affect millions of lives, Congress has chosen to focus its time and energy on banning an app that many Americans rely on for income and creative expression — only to have the ban delayed. Although the app was restored to Americans within hours, further illustrating the waste of governmental resources and time on a nonexistent issue, the attention it has gotten from the government is disturbing. This fiasco is not only out of touch with the real needs of the people but also tells of a government that prioritizes financial self-interest over meaningful change. Americans deserve leaders who will prioritize their well-being and focus on legitimate issues. By holding lawmakers accountable, we can strive for a better future in which leadership is defined by meaningful change and action.
Rebecca Szlechter is a junior with an individualized major in journalism and public relations.
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.