**Unpopular Opinion: I refuse to use TikTok. In this post I’ll break down why you shouldn’t be using TikTok, either.**

Here’s the thing. It was tempting to join TikTok before a pandemic hit. It’s the new high profile social media platform. Since we’ve all been quarantined, it’s even more tempting now. I’ve seen friends who in the past brushed off the app now actively using it every day. I GET IT. We’re bored, craving connectivity and quick entertainment right now. But if I asked you if a social media app was worth your freedom, would you say yes?

China Controls What You See On The App

TikTok (formerly Musica.ly) was bought by ByteDance, a Chinese internet company, in 2018. In September, The Guardian reported on leaked documents that revealed TikTok ordered its moderators to censor videos that mentioned topics sensitive to the Communist Party of China. So basically, the Chinese government is not only controlling what content their citizens see (something they already do)–but also what you see. This information alone makes me concerned that TikTok could be used not only to control what you think and believe, but to also influence our free elections, just like the Russians did in 2016.

When pressed by Vox about why there mysteriously seems to be a lack of political content on the app, TikTok responded by saying this:

“…It’s because [our] audience uses it for positive and joyful entertainment rather than politics.”

Really TikTok?! You’re telling me that your user base of Gen Z’ers, a.k.a. one of the most active generations for social and political justice–the generation that’s putting social justice issues on their Tinder profiles, isn’t interested in sharing about politics on TikTok? I mean, you’ve got to be the most gullible person in the world to believe that crap.

TikTok Is Likely Sharing Your Data With The Chinese Government

Even if TikTok didn’t want to help the Chinese government by providing or censoring information, the mere fact that it’s Chinese-owned makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the company to refuse the government. The laws there enforce Chinese companies to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

TikTok is now under a U.S. National Security review. One person familiar with the investigation told the New York Times that the U.S. government had evidence that TikTok has been sending U.S. user data to China. Although the investigation is currently open, I have a feeling we’ll be finding out more regarding the sharing of user (i.e. your) data in the coming months.

The Rise Of Chinese Power & Authoritarianism

Sure, there are reports that the Chinese government hid the severity of the Coronavirus as well as vastly underreported deaths, leaving other parts of the world little time to prepare. But when all is said and done with this pandemic, China–and authoritarianism–may emerge as a world leader. Especially since it’s already spinning propaganda with that specific story line. China is also emerging as a leader in production of much-needed medical supplies that we’re experiencing a shortage of in the U.S. In an opinion piece for Bloomberg, Hal Brands writes,

“…The fact that China subsequently claimed to have gotten a handle on the epidemic by energetically enforcing a draconian lockdown of the affected population, while the world’s leading democracy dithered in its own response, will be used by proponents of authoritarianism to argue that their system is best equipped for crisis.”

I don’t know about you, but while I do respect the purported speed with which China was able to get a handle on the spread of this virus, I don’t want my individualism, freedom of expression, and privacy controlled by government. This is what’s at stake when authoritarian powers grow. In an article for The Atlantic in February 2018, Anna Mitchell and Larry Diamond reported:

“[China] is racing to become the first to implement a pervasive system of algorithmic surveillance. Harnessing advances in artificial intelligence and data mining and storage to construct detailed profiles on all citizens, China’s communist party-state is developing a “citizen score” to incentivize “good” behavior. A vast accompanying network of surveillance cameras will constantly monitor citizens’ movement…”

I don’t know about you, but that scares the hell out of me. That’s what authoritarianism looks like.

You’re Supporting The Suppression Of Humanitarian Rights

If the rise of authoritarianism sounds only vaguely unsettling to you, let’s take a look at some of the things the Chinese government is currently doing, as laid out in the 2019 Human Rights Watch Report. TikTok could essentially be lending a hand in some of this if it is sharing data of Chinese users to the Communist Party for use against citizens.

The Chinese government:

• Harasses and detains journalists who cover human rights issues
• Has censored public outrage that came from women exposing people who had sexually harassed them
• Subjects activists and lawyers to travel bans, surveillance, detention, torture, and ill-treatment for their efforts to engage with the United Nations
• Severely restricts religious freedom, speech, movement, and assembly
• Has tracked, followed, and forced people of Muslim Uighur populations into internment camps

Censorship alone would be enough for me to never want to be on TikTok, but I believe it’s much more nefarious than that. Am I being alarmist? Possibly. But I also am thinking ahead. Thinking about how this social app could change society. #CancelTikTok