Tech

TikTok CEO sends a message to Americans as US Politicians consider a ban on the popular app

The battle for TikTok is heating up with reports that the US Government is contemplating a ban on the popular social media platform. Today, TikTok’s CEO has taken to his own platform to send a message directly to the overwhelming number of Americans using TikTok.

Shou Zi Chew, TikTok CEO posted a video message to the official TikTok company account announcing that there are more than 150 million active TikTok users in the USA.

As he correctly points out “That’s the almost half of the US coming to TikTok to connect, to create, to share, to learn, or just to have some fun.”

@tiktok

Our CEO, Shou Chew, shares a special message on behalf of the entire TikTok team to thank our community of 150 million Americans ahead of his congressional hearing later this week.

♬ original sound – TikTok

His message isn’t just about announcing that huge user number, it’s timed specifically to match his appearance before a US Congressional hearing into the platform where Shou says he will “share all that we are doing to protect Americans using the app and deliver on our mission to inspire creativity and to bring joy.”

Critically, it’s almost a call to action for TikTok users, saying “Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok. Now, this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.”

There’s no politician that wants 50% of their voters to be offside in an instant, so with Shou calling for comments on the post, you can expect plenty of Members of Congress will be reading those comments.

The calls for a ban are not new, the same happened under the Trump administration, and it all relates to the fear that the Chinese Government might have access to the data of TikTok users.

Several Governments around the world have banned or are considering banning TikTok on the phones of Members of Parliament, including Australia. Personally, I think that’s a great idea. But it should be followed by a similar ban on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google, all of which collect equally large or larger amounts of information from their users.

However, a ban for private citizens is a bridge too far – and I cannot see it ever happening. Again, no politician wants to polarise instantly the majority of their constituents.

Importantly, this entire “Ban TikTok” movement is based around fear. Firstly in the US you can absolutely imaging lobby groups representing US Tech companies are lobbying senators and representatives to have TikTok banned. Additionally, like in the case of Huawei and it’s bans around the world, theres not a single shred of evidence that anyone from the Chinese Government has ever accessed, seen or used any data from TikTok’s servers. It’s simply never happened.

So while I think it’s right that no company, US or Chinese should be able to gather info on our most senior politicians, I don’t think it’s right that we attack a business just because it’s Chinese.

This will not go away quickly though. Time will tell.

Recent Posts

  • Tech

Corsair announce the Vanguard 96 mechanical gaming keyboards with integrated LCD screen and Elgate Stream Deck

Corsair has announced the new VANGUARD PRO 96 Hall Effect Gaming Keyboard and VANGUARD 96…

17 hours ago
  • Tech

Swann announces 2 new cameras in their EVO range

Swann has announced two additional cameras in their popular EVO range. The EVO Wireless 2K…

18 hours ago
  • Tech

Anker SOLIX has a new battery-powered portable electric cooler just in time for camping season — the Everfrost 2

Anker SOLIX has announced the Australian launch and availability of the portable electric cooler, the…

19 hours ago
  • Tech

Australian pricing announced and pre-orders open for ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X

After announcing the new ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X gaming handhelds back…

19 hours ago
  • Product News

Samsung Launches Expanded Galaxy Line-Up in Australia covering wearables, phones and tablets

Samsung has announced a new suite of devices heading to Australia from today, expanding their…

23 hours ago
  • Tech

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: A good phone at the right price

Samsung recently announced the new Galaxy S25 FE ahead of IFA, bringing a new more…

24 hours ago