Okay, quick question.

Why TikTok?

I mean, I’ve heard the talk about how TikTok is tracking it’s users and collecting data. Yeah? So? As I understand it, every website is tracking it’s users and collecting data. Some of them are turning their data – your information – over to the NSA and ALL of them are using it to sell you some piece of crap you just really do not need/want/care about until they convince you you should. So the question stands.

Why TikTok?

“OMG,” I’m told, “TikTok is owned by an element potentially hostile to the health of America – the Chinese – who might use it to inject propaganda into the American paradigm with harmful intent!” Might, right? At this time, there’s no evidence that they have done, they just might. Okay, hold that thought, “might,” just for a moment.

A week or two ago, I wrote about a website called RT.com. The “RT” in RT.com used to stand for ‘Russia Today.’ It might still. Rebranding and all, you know. It turns out, RT.com is wholly owned by by an element potentially hostile to the health of America – the Russians – who absolutely ARE using it to inject propaganda into the American paradigm on a daily basis with harmful intent – and effect. It’s WHY the cons think mighty, mighty Putin is defending his country from Ukrainian aggression. I haven’t heard anything about banning RT.com. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s one “Might” and one “Absolutely Is.”

What about Fox Not-News? Fox Not-News is an element proven hostile the health of America. They’ve just been caught red-handed and dead to rights injecting propaganda into the American paradigm all day, every day with harmful intent and effect, as well. As much as I’d love to ban Fox Not-News, I haven’t heard word one on the topic. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s one for “Might” and TWO for “Absolutely Is.”

Elon Musk just spent $44 BILLION dollars to buy Twitter for the specific reason of wanting to once again allow various high-profile cons to inject propaganda into the American paradigm all day, every day. “Might,” one, “Absolutely Is,” three.

If you add in all the other major (and, likely minor) websites and social media outlets like Facebook and Google and Instagram and even Pinterest that track user behavior, the score becomes ridiculously lopsided at “Might,” one, “Absolutely Is,” all the rest. So why are we singling out TikTok?

Seems like a fair question, doesn’t it? If we KNOW RT.com is injecting propaganda into the conservative bubble all day, every day – and we do – and we KNOW the conservative media bubble is a cesspool of propaganda and misinformation – and we know that, too – what might TikTok do that the others are not doing?

Okay, so keep it off of government phones. But then, shouldn’t you already be keeping social media sites off of government phones? People are meant to be working not surfing the web. Besides haven’t you ever had a casual conversation about, say, learning to surf someday and suddenly ads for surfboards and surfing instructors start showing up on your phone and in your social media feeds? You think that’s coincidence? It’s your phone…or your smart tv…or your “virtual assistant” – ever present, always listening, always recording, ostensibly for your advertising pleasure. Uh-huh. So, please, help me out, here.

Why are we singling out TikTok?