The problem is that a widespread ban offer Tik Tok could be considered a violation of the first amendment subject to lawsuits.

A wide spread ban can be considered a violation of the first amendment, subject to lawsuits.

The media and the government conveniently are telling the Tik Tok story backwards. If the USA actually cared about privacy, they could make legislation to protect users' data, but they don't, because their own spyware companies would have to abide to those same laws (fairness), but of course, protecting users data and privacy is not in the interests of the USA's government. In fact, the FBI opposed Apple when they announced they are going to end to end encrypt the iPhone's iCloud back up, because "we could no longer snoop into it, think of the terrorists and children!" (yes, they practically said that). Also, this companies make you renounce your right to a class action lawsuit, so just the wealthy and people living in the USA can protect their rights against them. "Do as I say not as I do" "Rules for thee but not for me" "It's not bad when I'm the one doing it" The USA has no credibility to criticize Tik Tok.

The media and the government conveniently are telling the Tik Tok story backwards. If the USA actually cared about privacy, they could make legislation to protect users' data, but they don't, because their own spyware companies would have to abide to those same laws (fairness), but of course, protecting users data and privacy is not in the interests of the USA's government. In fact, the FBI opposed Apple when they announced they are going to end to end encrypt the iPhone's iCloud back up, because "we could no longer snoop into it, think of the terrorists and children!" (yes, they practically said that). Also, this companies make you renounce your right to a class action lawsuit, so just the wealthy and people living in the USA can protect their rights against them. "Do as I say not as I do" "Rules for thee but not for me" "It's not bad when I'm the one doing it" The USA has no credibility to criticize Tik Tok.

The media and the government conveniently are telling the Tik Tok story backwards. If the USA actually cared about privacy, they could make legislation to protect users' data, but they don't, because their own spyware companies would have to abide to those same laws (fairness), but of course, protecting users data and privacy is not in the interests of the USA's government. In fact, the FBI opposed Apple when they announced they are going to end to end encrypt the iPhone's iCloud back up, because "we could no longer snoop into it, think of the terrorists and children!" (yes, they practically said that). Also, this companies make you renounce your right to a class action lawsuit, so just the wealthy and people living in the USA can protect their rights against them. "Do as I say not as I do" "Rules for thee but not for me" "It's not bad when I'm the one doing it" The USA has no credibility to criticize Tik Tok.

>When you hand the reins of your understanding to a computer, you forfeit your ability to make sense of the world and surrender it to whoever programmed the tool you’re using.

This concern is overflow. That's exactly what we are doing by using search engines on the first place. Unless open source, we don't know how the algorithm works, we don't know what to they prioritize or censor. Google even offered to do a censored search engine for China, proyect firefly, we don't know if they don't use a similar type of technology in their main search engines. That logic also applies with the people behind the result that the engine provides. We don't know their motives, biases, conflict of interests, unless you do a background check of every author of everything you read. Trust in scientists are in an all time low because now is easier to find all the BS scientists had said which put into question their credibility. I lost all respect for Neil deGrasse Tyson after all the disingenuous stuff he publishes in his Twitter, because he thinks he's an expert in everything.