The campaign of President Joe Biden is using TikTok to appeal to younger voters before the upcoming presidential elections. However, American adults have differing opinions on whether the app should be allowed to operate in the country.

A recent survey conducted by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals a divide in opinions regarding the banning of the app TikTok. Out of U.S. adults, 31% support a nationwide ban on using TikTok while 35% are against such a measure. Another 31% remain neutral on the issue of banning the social media platform, which is owned by ByteDance in Beijing. For those who use TikTok on a daily basis, a national ban would likely be met with strong disapproval, as 73% state their opposition to it.

Discussions about a potential ban on TikTok became more intense in the United States at the beginning of last year. This was prompted by concerns from Western lawmakers, governments, and regulators that Chinese laws may require the company to share user data with the authoritarian government. While there is no concrete evidence from the U.S. government or critics of TikTok to support this claim, they also suggest that the platform could be utilized to spread propaganda in favor of the Chinese government or manipulate the visibility of certain topics.

TikTok has vigorously defended itself, saying in part that it has never shared data with the Chinese government and won’t do so if asked. The company also has promised to wall off U.S. user data from its parent company through a separate entity run independently from ByteDance and monitored by outside observers. TikTok says new user data is currently being stored on servers maintained by the software company Oracle.

According to an anonymous source familiar with the White House’s plans, the administration is expected to announce new measures this month to safeguard Americans’ confidential personal information from foreign threats, particularly those from China. The source requested anonymity in order to share details of the plan, which has not yet been officially announced by the White House.

The Biden administration confirmed this week that there is an ongoing investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. regarding the platform. It was reported last year that the app could face a widespread ban if its Chinese owners do not sell their shares.

In the meantime, attempts by Congress to pass a more comprehensive prohibition – such as a bill with support from both parties that does not specifically target TikTok but would authorize the Commerce Department to assess and potentially limit its usage – were halted last year due to resistance from various industries, digital rights organizations, and certain legislators, influencers, and small enterprises that utilize the app.

The recent survey conducted by AP-NORC reveals that there are approximately 170 million TikTok users in the United States, with a majority of them being younger individuals. These users are less concerned about the app sharing American user data, which reflects a previous generational gap. Only a quarter of daily users express being “extremely or very concerned” about the possibility of the Chinese government accessing their personal information, while about half of all U.S. adults share this worry.

According to Dan Ives, a technology expert at Wedbush Securities, politicians view this situation as a delicate issue. On one hand, they want to appear strong and assertive on camera. However, the consequences could potentially harm their efforts.

A large portion of American adults, 56%, expressed support for a restricted ban on TikTok for government devices, such as computers and phones used by government employees. This type of ban has already been put into effect by at least 36 states, the federal government, and certain other countries, including the European Union. Approximately 25% of U.S. adults have no strong feelings towards blocking TikTok from government devices, while 17% are against it.

The Biden team has stated that they are utilizing a distinct mobile device for TikTok in order to keep the app separate from other forms of communication. They have also implemented additional measures for security. Certain Republicans have voiced disapproval of this choice.

Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed ongoing worry about the social media platform during a press briefing on Monday.

Warner expressed his concern about a potential conflicting message as we strive to emulate India’s ban on TikTok. We must figure out a solution in order to follow suit.

When asked if the campaign’s use of the app addresses security concerns, TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek stated that they hope policymakers from both parties acknowledge the steps they have taken to protect user data in the US, which surpasses other companies in this field.

In the previous year, Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination, became a member of the app in order to connect with younger voters. However, he also referred to it as “digital fentanyl” and urged for it to be prohibited. Other Republican candidates utilized different strategies to share their messages on the platform, such as creating video clips that could be shared across various apps or collaborating with conservative influencers who were already active on the app.

The survey discovered that approximately 60% of American adults, and 41% of those who use TikTok daily, are highly worried about the excessive usage of the app by children and teenagers. A majority of adults, 59%, express concerns about misinformation being spread on the platform, while around 50% are anxious about individuals engaging in risky or unlawful activities that they witness on the app. This concern is less prevalent among TikTok users.

Last year, TikTok announced that it would be enforcing time restrictions for minors. However, these limitations still permit teenagers to continue viewing content even after inputting a passcode.

The company has announced plans to strengthen its efforts in combating misinformation by collaborating with additional international fact-checking groups and implementing various initiatives. Recently, TikTok revealed its intention to establish fact-checking centers within the app to combat false information during the upcoming European Union elections.

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Aamer Madhani and Linley Sanders, journalists from the AP, provided contributions from Washington D.C.

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A survey was carried out from January 25-29, 2024, among 1,152 adults. The sample was selected from NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel, which aims to accurately represent the U.S. population. The margin of error for all participants is +/- 4.0 percentage points.

Source: wral.com