The tech industry has long been dominated by U.S. companies, including social media leaders like Facebook, Twitter, and Snap. With the rise of TikTok, a social media app owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, there is concern about data privacy and national security for the U.S.

With over a billion TikTok users worldwide including 150 million U.S. users, politicians are worried that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to gather data on Americans and promote Chinese interests. For example, ByteDance could share data with China's authoritarian government, such as Americans' browsing history, location and biometric identifiers. A report by a US-Australian cybersecurity company revealed that TikTok can access users' SMS messages, location, camera, microphone, and other private information. Or ByteDance could use the app to censor content related to sensitive political subjects such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and current Tibetan move for independence.

While TikTok has faced accusations of gathering too much data from users, other tech companies also collect significant amounts of user data. Investigative journalist Julia Angwin argues that TikTok is receiving unfair treatment and that all apps should be subject to the same level of scrutiny. Rather than banning TikTok, Angwin suggests that legislation should be created to require all tech firms to prioritize privacy, accountability, and security.

The question for debate, should #TikTok be banned in the U.S.?