Majority of Americans Believe TikTok Influences Public Opinion: Poll, China

A new poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos has revealed that the majority of Americans believe TikTok influences public opinion. The survey found that 58% of respondents agreed that the Chinese-owned platform is used by the Chinese government to sway American public sentiment. Following this sentiment, President Joe Biden recently signed legislation giving TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, nine months to divest from the app or potentially face a ban in the U.S. Despite potential bans, TikTok plans to challenge the restrictions on the grounds of free speech protection. The poll also indicated that half of Americans support a ban on TikTok, while 32% oppose such measures, with older demographics more in favor of restrictions than younger age groups. Moreover, most Americans deemed it inappropriate for political candidates to leverage TikTok for campaign purposes. As the debate over TikTok’s influence and security concerns continues, global implications remain uncertain, with the EU already implementing bans due to cybersecurity issues. The FBI and FCC have previously raised alarms about data privacy concerns associated with the app.