Some people in America are scared of a popular app called TikTok because it is owned by a Chinese company. They think that China might use this app to spy on Americans or control what they can say online. But, some other people say that the real reason is that they want to stop young people from sharing things that could upset them or their political views. This article talks about why these arguments are not very strong and how TikTok became popular in the first place. Read from source...

- The author claims that TikTok is an emergent property driven by talented users, not the Chinese inventors. However, he fails to acknowledge that other social media platforms also owe their success to user-generated content and creativity, not just the developers or founders. For example, Twitter's initial posts were boring because its users had to discover how to use the platform effectively over time. The same could be said for TikTok.
- The author implies that having a social media app owned by a foreign power is somehow a threat to national security. This argument is based on a false dichotomy between being hostile or friendly with another country, ignoring the fact that international relations are much more complex than that. Moreover, the author seems to overlook the fact that many American companies operate in China and benefit from its market access, despite the different political systems and values between the two countries.
- The author accuses the left of wanting to ban TikTok because they can't use it to censor people like they did with pre-Elon Musk Twitter. This is a highly biased and inaccurate portrayal of the left's motivations for banning TikTok, as there are other valid concerns related to data privacy, security, and potential influence operations by the Chinese government or state-affiliated entities. The author also ignores the fact that Elon Musk has been a vocal critic of some aspects of Twitter's censorship policies, suggesting that it is not a monolithic platform under his control.

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Summary: The article criticizes the American leaders for being afraid of China and Americans being uncensored online. It argues that TikTok is not a threat to national security and questions why there is a push to ban it. The author claims that the left wants to ban TikTok because they cannot use it to censor people like they did with pre-Elon Musk Twitter.