The government should have a limited influence on the people both individually and economically. This is a clear overreach by the government into the rights of the people to use the internet and social media of their choice freely. The US government—by forcing the sale or ban of TikTok—is essentially calling the shots on which companies can operate in its borders and how, just as the Chinese government does to its own digital platforms.

Perhaps one of the most important arguments against the ban on TikTok is that it will affect free speech. TikTok has become a vital place for expression and community building, especially among younger generations. The ban threatens to silence millions of users and creators who rely on the app for their livelihoods and personal expression. This is especially concerning in perspective with the vast censorship practices in China, where the government vastly controls and censors the content on platforms such as WeChat and TikTok internationally.

The ban of TikTok prescribes a very dangerous precedent for government intrusion into the digital space. If the government can ban a majorly popular app because it says it’s a threat to national security, then it could do the same for other platforms or technologies it deems as threats. Given that we know other social media platforms not only gather our data, but provide said data to government agencies freely, something is clearly amiss here. The result of this ban is the proverbial slippery slope: the more and more the government controls the internet and social media, the more stifled innovation and free expression will become.