© 2024 New England Public Media

FCC public inspection files:
WGBYWFCRWNNZWNNUWNNZ-FMWNNI

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@nepm.org or call 413-781-2801.
PBS, NPR and local perspective for western Mass.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Should the U.S. fear TikTok?

This photo illustration shows the TikTok logo reflected in an image of the US flag, in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2023. - China urged the United States to stop "unreasonably suppressing" TikTok on March 16, 2023, after Washington gave the popular video-sharing app an ultimatum to part ways with its Chinese owners or face a nationwide ban. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
This photo illustration shows the TikTok logo reflected in an image of the US flag, in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2023. - China urged the United States to stop "unreasonably suppressing" TikTok on March 16, 2023, after Washington gave the popular video-sharing app an ultimatum to part ways with its Chinese owners or face a nationwide ban. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

150 million Americans use TikTok for things like dance challenges, makeup tutorials and cooking videos.

The U.S. is considering banning the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, over concerns that its Chinese ownership poses a threat to national security.

Today, On Point: Should the U.S. fear TikTok?

Guests

Emily Baker-White, technology reporter and senior writer at Forbes. One of a group of U.S. journalists TikTok’s parent company ByteDance spied on in 2022. (@ebakerwhite)

Jim Lewis, senior vice president and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. (@james_a_lewis)

Baedri Nichole, TikTok creator. Founder and owner of Coco’s Confectionary Kitchen, a home bakery business. (@backinthekitchenwithbae)

Related Reading

Buzzfeed News: “TikTok Owner ByteDance Used A News App On Millions Of Phones To Push Pro-China Messages, Ex-Employees Say” — “Former employees claim the company placed pieces of pro-China content in its now-defunct US news app, TopBuzz, and censored negative stories about the Chinese government. ByteDance says it did no such thing.”

Los Angeles Times: “For some, TikTok is a path to riches and the American dream. With a ban, it could all disappear” — “When Lauren Wyman felt crushed under the weight of her corporate finance job in 2019, she found solace in launching a small goth and alternative clothing business.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.