In mid-April 2024, about a month ago, the United States Congress passed legislation that gave ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, 270 days to sell TikTok or it would be banned in the United States. President Biden signed it into law a few days later.
This is a totally unprecedented move — TikTok is one of the largest social media applications in the world and has more than 150 million active users in the US alone.
In response, TikTok filed a lawsuit declaring the legislation unconstitutional on a number of free speech grounds. And it’s currently making its way through the courts.
To unpack all these issues, we’ve brought on two experts on social media, technology, and free expression.
Evan Greer is a Director at Fight For the Future, an advocacy organization focused on technology and free expression. She writes for major publications including The Guardian, Time, and Newsweek. And…we should add that Evan is also a musician who has performed with artists such as Pete Seeger, Talib Kweli, and Dispatch.
Sam Lessin is a partner at Slow Ventures, a venture capital firm based in the Bay Area. He is also the co-host of More or Less, a podcast that analyzes the tech industry. Previously, Sam founded a number of tech companies and was the VP of Product at Facebook.
Today we ask a wide range of important questions about TikTok.
Should the United States ban TikTok?
What are the compelling arguments for and against a potential ban or forced sale?
Is it constitutional? What are the implications for free speech and expression?
Show Notes
Evaluating the legislation [2:47]
The 1st Amendment [05:36]
How independent is ByteDance? [11:17]
Data collection [16:37]
Is there a slippery slope? [17:28]
Privacy protection [24:12]
What will happen to TikTok after the legislation? [36:09]
China’s interests [40:25]
Young people and TikTok [46:50]
Political factors [47:27]
Steelmanning [50:04]
Episode Preview
w/ Alex Grodd and Producer Catherine Cushenberry
xoxo,
The Disagreement Team
Episode 10: Banning TikTok