The video-sharing app TikTok reportedly plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration as early as Tuesday over the president’s executive order <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-tiktok-executive-order-after-setting-sale-deadline">banning U.S. companies</a> from engaging in commerce with ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, starting next month.
NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/08/08/900394707/tiktok-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ban-as-soon-as-tuesday">reports</a> that the video-sharing app will challenge the Trump administration’s order because the company says it was not presented with an opportunity to respond, according to “a person who was directly involved in the forthcoming suit but was not authorized to speak for the company.”
The company, which has an office in Los Angeles, also believes the executive order violates their due process rights, as after the 45-day waiting period is over, they may not be able to retain legal representation without violating the order.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok, which has been the subject of cybersecurity concerns, from operating in the United States unless the company can secure a buyer and address concerns about the app.
“TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories,” read the president’s executive order.
“This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage,” the order continued.
TikTok has denied that it sends data to the Chinese government, and the anonymous source for NPR has also reportedly pushed back against the national security concerns that the Trump administration has with the video-sharing app.
&#8220;It&#8217;s based on pure speculation and conjecture,&#8221; the source told NPR. &#8220;The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around.”
Microsoft has acknowledged holding negotiations with TikTok over a potential acquisition, but even if the two companies do reach an agreement, it remains an open question whether the terms of the deal will be enough to convince skeptical lawmakers.
“It can’t just be data and servers housed in the United States,” Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) told <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/sen-tom-cotton-tiktok-must-cut-china-ties">Fox Business</a> on Monday of a potential TikTok deal. “There can be no code, there could be no algorithms, there can be no ties whatsoever between a new U.S.-based TikTok and ByteDance [or] China.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Sunday — the same day Microsoft acknowledged it was looking to acquire TikTok — he has urged that the video-sharing app be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPpYItDxMqU">closed down</a> in the country. However, Schumer has since expressed support for an American company buying the app so &#8220;everyone can keep using it and your data is safe.&#8221;
“This is about privacy. With TikTok in China, it’s subject to Chinese Communist Party laws that may require handing over data to their government,” said Schumer. “A safe way must be found for TikTok to continue.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A US company should buy TikTok so everyone can keep using it and your data is safe.
This is about privacy. With TikTok in China, it’s subject to Chinese Communist Party laws that may require handing over data to their government.
A safe way must be found for TikTok to continue.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1290290912908607488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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TikTok Among 59 Chinese Apps India Bans On Security Fears

Report: Video-Sharing App TikTok Plans To File Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

China

Chinese Communist Party

Donald Trump

TikTok

Jimmy Fallon’s re-education is coming along nicely.
The press initially battered the “Tonight Show” host, the least partisan comic on the late night scene, for <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/media-bullied-fallon-hating-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">daring to humanize</a> then-candidate Donald Trump. More recently, social justice warriors <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/cancel-culture-howard-stern-jimmy-kimmel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">slammed Fallon</a> for a blackface sketch he performed 20 years ago.
In response, the “Saturday Night Live” alum has been hammering President Trump on a nightly basis like his more aggressive peers.
Here, Fallon attacks President Trump for going to war against TikTok, a Chinese social media platform with billions of users worldwide.
<iframe title="Trump Wants to Ban TikTok | The Tonight Show" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XmDkAYTkCq8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<blockquote>Fallon: What is he doing, the president of the United States or the preacher from “Footloose “? This is a real national security threat, the knowing which Americans can and can’t dance. I am sure it has everything to do with national security and nothing to do with the TikTok teens that sabotaged his Tulsa rally.</blockquote>
Not to be outdone, the host of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” trotted out random information to suggest a president can’t do more than two things at once, a strawman of the first order.
<blockquote>Meyers: The death toll is climbing, wait times for tests are rising and tens of millions of Americans struggling to survive the worst economic crash since the Great Depression just lost a $600 unemployment benefit because Republicans couldn’t be bothered to extend it or, God forbid, make it permanent. And Trump couldn’t care less about any of that. Time is running out on his presidency and all he can hear is — TRUMP: “TikTok.”</blockquote>
Why would big, bad Trump want to cancel TikTok?
Fallon and Meyers won’t say, of course. They’d rather keep that information from you. So would much of the press.
A few media outlets have shared the alarming details. Here’s a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2020/06/28/tiktok-beneath-its-fun-exterior-lies-a-sinisterpurpose/#3765a4803b79" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warning from Forbes.com</a>, hardly a right-wing site, on the wildly popular platform.
<blockquote>
… the US armed forces have forbidden personnel from using it and describes it as a threat to cybersecurity. Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point has investigated it and concludes it has backdoors and major vulnerabilities, as well as overall security issues. The US government is also investigating it. Meanwhile, Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman describes it as a “fundamentally parasitic app that is always listening” and warns against installing what he calls “spyware”. Several child advocacy groups say it poses a clear risk to children. Apple claims it has caught TikTok using clipboard capture mechanisms to spy on millions of users.
</blockquote>
Odd that none of that information made it into the late night monologues, right?
Stephen Miller, a right-leaning journalist, <a href="https://spectator.us/media-tiktok-blindspot-national-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shared more worrisome information</a> recently on the subject.
<blockquote>It’s understood to be hacking and using data collected from its users’ phones. Everyone from the Department of Defense, to the US military to the Joe Biden campaign has banned it. The app is now in talks to sell its US operations to Microsoft in order to abate the controversy, a move backed by Chuck Schumer which Trump says he ‘wouldn’t mind.’</blockquote>
Later, Miller spells out why the platform, which appears both creatively challenging and harmeless, is anything but for parents.
<blockquote>It took a random developer on Reddit to dig into exactly what TikTok does to a user’s phone. He reverse engineered the application and posted what he found saying ‘TikTok is a data collection service that is thinly-veiled as a social network. If there is an API to get information on you, your contacts or your device…well, they’re using it.’</blockquote>
Team Late Night went for the easy laugh, and for some in the audience it worked.
Those looking for reality, though, came away hungry for information.
Hope their kids choose their social media apps wisely.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-late-night-gaslighting-host-seth-meyers-ignores-portland-riots-chaos-to-hit-trump">Late-Night Gaslighting: Host Seth Meyers Ignores Portland Riots, Chaos To Hit Trump</a>
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Jimmy Fallon

TOTO: Fallon, Meyers Purposely Ignore TikTok’s Toxic Side Effects To Slam Trump

Seth Meyers

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday evening that will prevent American companies from engaging in commerce with Bytedance, the Chinese parent-company of the video-sharing app TikTok, beginning in 45 days.
The executive order comes less than a week after Trump suggested he would soon take action against TikTok, which has been the subject of cyber-security concerns, and effectively sets a deadline for an American company to buy the video-sharing app, reports <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-votes-to-ban-tiktok-on-government-issued-phones-11596760843?mod=hp_lead_pos1">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
“TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories,” reads the executive order. “This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”
“TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. This mobile application may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, such as when TikTok videos spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus,” reads the order.
TikTok has denied that it sends data to the Chinese government.
Earlier this week, Microsoft publicly acknowledged for the first time that it was in discussions to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/microsoft-says-it-spoke-with-trump-after-tiktok-threat-deal-may-still-happen">acquire TikTok</a> for the American market, and also revealed it could potentially acquire the video-sharing app for Canadian and Australian markets as well.
While Microsoft revealed that these discussions would be finalized by Sept. 15 — a date the president has also mentioned — Trump&#8217;s new executive order seemingly puts a firm deadline on the conclusion of the talks.
Trump has also said that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-tiktok-must-be-sold-by-next-month-treasury-department-should-get-a-cut-from-it?%3Futm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=realpatriots">any deal</a> between TikTok and an American buyer would require the Department of the Treasury to receive “a lot of money,” although the president did not float a specific percentage or figure.
Microsoft seemingly acknowledged the president’s position in a blog post Sunday, after speaking with him over the phone, but before he made the remarks about the Treasury Department getting a cut from the deal.
<blockquote>Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury.</blockquote>
Even if TikTok manages to find an American buyer, federal lawmakers have expressed concerns that the deal would sufficiently address their issues with the app.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPpYItDxMqU">reporters</a> Sunday that any potential deal could still leave questions about China’s influence.
Speaking to<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/sen-tom-cotton-tiktok-must-cut-china-ties"> Fox Business</a> earlier this week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said that any deal between Microsoft and ByteDance would require TikTok to sever all ties with China.
“It can’t just be data and servers housed in the United States,” he said. “There can be no code, there could be no algorithms, there can be no ties whatsoever between a new U.S.-based TikTok and ByteDance [or] China.”
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President Trump Departs White House For Florida

Trump Signs TikTok Executive Order After Setting Sale Deadline

President Donald Trump acknowledged having a conversation with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella over the weekend. During a meeting at the White House, Trump told reporters that any company seeking to acquire the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok would need to address U.S. cyber-security concerns and that a deal would have to be reached by next month. 
“I set a date of around September 15th, at which point it&#8217;s going to be out of business in the United States,” Trump said of a TikTok merger with Microsoft, reports <a href="https://www.axios.com/trump-tiktok-banned-microsoft-fd45748d-1ee8-4f4a-812a-09ec76d6f8e2.html">Axios</a>. The president added: “But if somebody else buys it, that will be interesting.”
The negotiation process between Microsoft and Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-negotiations-between-tiktok-parent-company-and-microsoft-stall-after-trump-threat">stalled</a> after Trump strongly suggested Friday evening that the app would soon be banned in the country. On Sunday, Microsoft revealed that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/microsoft-says-it-spoke-with-trump-after-tiktok-threat-deal-may-still-happen">negotiations</a> with Bytedance would continue following a conversation with the president. 
Trump has since placed an additional stipulation that the Department of the Treasury receive “a lot of money” from any deal, a provision which Microsoft alluded to in a corporate blog post over the weekend. 
<blockquote>Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury.</blockquote>
Trump did not disclose how much of a cut he envisions the Treasury department receiving from a TikTok acquisition. 
Although the Trump administration has alluded to actions against TikTok in recent days, lawmakers from both sides have expressed concerns about the social media app. 
“I have been very opposed to TikTok, I was one of the first to expose the Chinese links, and I have urged that TikTok be closed down in America,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPpYItDxMqU">reporters</a> Sunday, explaining that any potential deal could still leave questions about China’s influence over the app.
In the same blog post, Microsoft also revealed that it has explored the possibility of acquiring TikTok for multiple markets, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Trump has expressed that an American company acquiring TikTok as a whole, instead of only parts of it, would be a preferable approach. 
&#8220;It&#8217;s probably easier to buy the whole thing than to buy 30% of it. How do you do 30%? Who&#8217;s going to get the name? The name is hot, the brand is hot,” said Trump. 
According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/microsoft-tiktok-possible-deal-85-billion-boost-stock/">CBS News</a>, shares in Microsoft jumped 6% after the company confirmed, for the first time, the existence of negotiations to purchase TikTok. 
“In all, only about a third of Microsoft&#8217;s revenue now comes from its consumer business, and only a small portion of that is from direct sales to individuals,” reports CBS News. “Microsoft&#8217;s Xbox gaming system generated about $11 billion in sales last year. In short, TikTok would instantly lift Microsoft&#8217;s consumer business and boost the company&#8217;s growth.”
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President Trump Holds News Conference At The White House

Trump Says TikTok Must Be Sold By Next Month, Treasury Department Should Get A Cut From It

Microsoft

Microsoft said that it plans to continue discussions with Bytedance, the parent company of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, after speaking with President Donald Trump, who expressed interest in banning the social media app from the United States on Friday amidst cyber-security concerns.
In a blog post on Sunday, Microsoft said CEO Staya Nadella had spoken with the president over the phone and the company was now “prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States.”
The Wall Street Journal, confirming the existence of the phone call, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-speaks-with-microsoft-ceo-about-tiktok-deal-11596411277?mod=hp_lead_pos2">reported</a> that White House officials believe the president would be receptive to a deal so long as the national security concerns were resolved.
As recently as Friday evening, Trump was dismissive of any plans that would involve a U.S.-based company acquiring TikTok, a company that lawmakers and government officials have increasingly expressed concerns about in recent months.
But Microsoft now believes that it may reach a deal with Bytedance no later than mid-September, and the proposal could result in Microsoft structuring a deal in which they would own the video-sharing app for Canadian and Australian markets as well, said the company in the blog post.
<blockquote>This new structure would build on the experience TikTok users currently love, while adding world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections. The operating model for the service would be built to ensure transparency to users as well as appropriate security oversight by governments in these countries.
Among other measures, Microsoft would ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States. To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States, Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred.</blockquote>
Back in July, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that the only people who should download Tiktok are those who want the Chinese Communist Party to have access to their information. TikTok has denied that it gives China access to data.
But TikTok hesitation has also been a rare source of bipartisan concern, and even this weekend, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed concerns about allowing a company to acquire the Chinese video-sharing app.
“I have been very opposed to TikTok, I was one of the first to expose the Chinese links, and I have urged that TikTok be closed down in America,” Schumer told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPpYItDxMqU">reporters</a> Sunday, explaining that any potential deals would still leave lingering questions.
“How will the data be stored and secured? Will still the Chinese have links into TikTok? So before I would be for such a merger, I’d have to get some answers to these questions,” he said.
Fox Business, citing “people close to the matter,” <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/microsoft-tiktok-deal-trump-ban">reports</a> that the president is expected to make a decision about whether to allow an acquisition, or to ban the video-sharing app entirely, by early this week.
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Microsoft Says It Spoke With Trump After TikTok Threat, Deal May Still Happen

Negotiations between Microsoft and Bytedance, the parent company of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, have stalled amidst President Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to ban the social media app from the United States.
According to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-and-bytedance-put-tiktok-talks-on-hold-after-trump-signals-opposition-11596312611">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Microsoft halted the negotiations process despite the willingness of Bytedance to reportedly try and sweeten the deal, which could have been finalized as soon as next week.
A White House spokesperson told the WSJ on Saturday that the Trump administration &#8220;has very serious national security concerns over TikTok. We continue to evaluate future policy.&#8221;
Late Friday evening, Trump told reporters that “as far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.” During the remarks, the president floated <a href="https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1289386727338115073">the possibilit</a>y of using either an executive order or emergency economic powers to proceed.
According to Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs, the president also dismissed the idea of allowing a U.S. company to purchase the social media app, a statement that seems to have since made Microsoft wary of the deal-making process.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump brushed off idea of solving national security concerns with TikTok by letting a US-based company, such as Microsoft, buy it. 
“Not the deal that you have been hearing about that they are going to buy and sell and this and that. Microsoft and another one.“
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) <a href="https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1289390448495046657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
Vanessa Pappas, the U.S. general manager for TikTok, posted a thank-you video to people who use the video-sharing app on Saturday morning, and also expressed that the company was “not planning on going anywhere.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A message to the TikTok community. <a href="https://t.co/UD3TR2HfEf">pic.twitter.com/UD3TR2HfEf</a>
— TikTok (@tiktok_us) <a href="https://twitter.com/tiktok_us/status/1289565422350553091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
While the president’s announcement on Friday brought TikTok to the center-stage of the political sphere, the app has long been a source of worry for government officials.
In October of last year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) asked <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-s-opens-national-security-investigation-into-tiktok">intelligence officials</a> to conduct “an assessment of the national security risks posed by TikTok and other China-based content platforms” operating inside of the United States.
The Department of Defense later advised personnel in several branches of the military to remove the app due to cyber security concerns, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/04/us/tiktok-pentagon-military-ban.html">The New York Times</a>.
In a recent July interview with Laura Ingrahm on Fox News, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States was exploring options, including a potential ban on TikTok, and added that only people who want their “private information in the hands of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-considering-ban-on-tiktok-other-chinese-apps-over-security-concerns">Chinese Communist Party</a>” should download the app.
In an email to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/07/tiktok-ban-china-usa-pompeo/">The Washington Post</a>, TikTok denied that government officials in any country have access to user data.
“TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users,” said the spokesperson. “We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”
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Report: Negotiations Between TikTok Parent Company And Microsoft Stall After Trump Threat

President Donald Trump told reporters late on Friday that he will take action as soon as tomorrow that will ban Chinese-owned app TikTok from the United States.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/31/trump-says-he-will-ban-tiktok-through-executive-action-as-soon-as-saturday.html">said</a>.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this month that the administration was &#8220;very seriously&#8221; looking at banning the app for national security reasons.
&#8220;With respect to Chinese apps on people&#8217;s cell phones, I can assure you, the United States will get this one right too,&#8221; Pompeo said.
When asked if people should download the app on their phones, Pompeo responded, &#8220;Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;
India has already banned TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps because they were <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/tech/tiktok-india-ban-intl-hnk/index.html">deemed</a> to be a &#8220;threat to sovereignty and integrity.&#8221;
Australia <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/07/07/tiktoks-australia-future/">reportedly</a> is considering banning the app, and the Trump administration&#8217;s decision to ban the app could lead to other U.S. allies deciding to ban it as well.
Earlier this month, the U.K. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-k-bans-chinas-huawei-from-its-5g-network-after-months-of-pressure-from-trump-admin">announced</a> that it was banning Chinese-owned Huawei from its 5G network over national security concerns.
U.S. federal agencies and the U.S. military started banning TikTok on government-issued devices late last year and early this year.
On Tuesday, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote a <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/7689fa45-12a9-4260-be02-0a280869762c/93B601739F68988F4F3792CA91701079.200728-tiktok-election-interference-letter-final.pdf">letter</a> to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the director of the FBI highlighting concerns about the app.
The letter stated:
We write to raise concerns about TikTok, the Chinese social-media service, which could enable the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to engage in influence operations against the United States, including operations designed to interfere with our elections. 
The Trump Administration has rightly taken steps to maintain the security and integrity of our elections. As President Trump stated in Executive Order 13848 in September, 2018, &#8220;the proliferation of digital devices and internet-based communications has created significant vulnerabilities and magnified the scope and intensity of the threat of foreign interference.&#8221; The administration has acted decisively on this threat by forcing media outlets controlled by hostile state actors like Russia and China to register as foreign agents, imposing sanctions on foreign officials who attempted to meddle in American elections, and issuing repeated warnings about efforts by hostile foreign powers to interfere in upcoming elections. 
TikTok has become a popular forum for Americans-particularly younger Americans-to engage in political conversations. We are greatly concerned that the CCP could use its control over TikTok to distort or manipulate these conversations to sow discord among Americans and to achieve its preferred political outcomes. 
TikTok is owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, and the majority of the company&#8217;s engineering and development resources are based in China. ByteDance regularly modifies TikTok content to satisfy CCP censorship rules. In 2019, the Washington Post reported that ByteDance employees based in China set TikTok&#8217;s content standards and issued commands to remove TikTok content they deemed &#8220;subversive or controversial.&#8221; In November 2019, TikTok locked the account of an American teenager who posted a video critical of the CCP&#8217;s horrific crimes against the Uighur people in China. TikTok only reversed this act of censorship and unlocked the young woman&#8217;s account after a public outcry.
The CCP devotes significant resources to conduct information operations overseas. Beijing exploits the openness of Western democracies and social-media platforms to propagate the Party&#8217;s preferred narratives. The CCP conducts these influence operations by coopting traditional media outlets, spending tens of millions of dollars to purchase space in major U.S. newspapers for propaganda by state-owned outlets like China Daily, and working to ensure Chinese state television channels like CGTN dominate Chinese-language media overseas. The CCP also manipulates overseas political discussions on Chinese-owned social media platforms like WeChat. Chinese government officials increasingly use Western social-media companies, including those banned in China, to flood global social media with propaganda and misinformation. 
With this history in mind, we respectfully request answers to the following questions about TikTok:
<blockquote>
<ol>
<li>Do you believe ByteDance&#8217;s ownership ofTikTok gives the CCP an opportunity to conduct influence operations within the United States, including campaigns directed at changing the outcome of elections?</li>
<li>Given the CCP&#8217;s control over ByteDance, is it possible Chinese officials could direct TikTok&#8217;s employees to amplify or suppress certain political content for U.S. users? </li>
<li>Could the CCP direct networks of bots to create or boost its preferred political content on TikTok and other social-media platforms?</li>
<li>If evidence emerges of CCP electoral interference via TikTok, would ByteDance be eligible for sanctions under President Trump&#8217;s September 12, 2018, executive order on foreign electoral influence?</li>
<li>What other Chinese social-media applications and technology corporations present vectors for election interference in the United States?</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
Thank you for working to ensure the integrity of our elections from Chinese interference, which is important in order to maintain the American people&#8217;s trust in the democratic process. We look forward to hearing from you.
This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.
[Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information].
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FRANCE-US-INTERNET-TECHNOLOGY

Trump To Take Action To Ban Chinese-Owned App TikTok From U.S.

Practitioners of witchcraft have joined the cause of liberal student groups at the University of North Texas (UNT) in an attempt to remove a conservative student organization from the school&#8217;s campus.
As first reported by <a href="https://texasscorecard.com/metroplex/democrats-declare-war-on-conservatives-at-university-of-north-texas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Texas Scorecard</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/UntDemocrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNT College Democrats</a> joined LGBT campus group <a href="https://twitter.com/untglad" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNT GLAD</a> and &#8220;Chicanx/Latinx&#8221; student group <a href="https://twitter.com/vivamueve" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MUEVE</a> to write a Change.org <a href="https://www.change.org/p/removal-of-the-young-conservatives-of-texas-from-unt-for-hateful-actions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">petition</a> demanding the removal of the UNT chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT).
The petition, addressed to University President Neal Smatresk and signed by more than 2,500 people as of Monday afternoon, alleges that YCT &#8220;has shown a pattern of racism, transphobia, and homophobia throughout the 2019 through 2020 school year.&#8221; It goes on to cite examples of what they deem objectionable behavior, such as when YCT tweeted that &#8220;pronouns in your [T]witter bio isn’t a personality trait.&#8221;
Also listed is the time YCT encouraged students to celebrate National Coming Out Day by &#8220;coming out&#8221; as conservatives, as well as when they made a point about affirmative action by holding a bake sale that charged different prices based on the customer&#8217;s ethnicity. Claiming &#8220;these actions have hurt numerous organizations, minority groups, and the well being of harassed students,&#8221; the petition maintains that &#8220;YCT needs to be held accountable for said transgressions.&#8221;
Various iterations of YCT have existed since the organization was first founded in 1980. Its chapters across Texas &#8220;participate in a variety of activities, including campaigning, political activism, informing the general public on a variety of political topics, and much more,&#8221; <a href="https://texasscorecard.com/commentary/commentary-conservatism-under-fire-on-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> Kelly Neidert, who is the chairman of the chapter at UNT, which was reinstated in Fall 2019 after being dissolved in 2005.
Screenshots provided to The Daily Wire of tweets and direct messages sent to YCT and Neidert show that the campaign against the organization took on a more ominous tone when alleged witches began claiming to invoke otherworldly forces against them. &#8220;It started with, like, one,&#8221; Neidert told The Daily Wire. &#8220;But now there&#8217;s like 30 of them threatening me.&#8221;
In one since-deleted tweet, &#8220;Anna Katz, a recent graduate of UNT, tweeted a picture of a drawing of a goat captioned ‘the devil’ and a cauldron. Katz, who later removed the Tweet, could not be reached for comment,&#8221; as reported by <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/student-invokes-satan-to-drive-conservative-group-from-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Washington Free Beacon</a>. Katz informed Neidert that she was performing a ritual with &#8220;intentions of misfortune&#8221; against her, but qualified her hex by explaining that it was not intended to induce &#8220;physical harm.&#8221;
Other tweets sent to YCT depict images of menacing Tarot cards, one of which shows an image of death, which a user interpreted as predicting imminent downfall. Other messages expressed overtly satanic sentiments.
<div class="image"><img class="wp-image-1348723 aligncenter" src="https://s2.freebeacon.com/up/2020/07/IMG_4811-473x1024.png" alt="" width="393" height="851" /><img class="CToWUd a6T aligncenter" tabindex="0" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&amp;ik=6a4a7f29c8&amp;attid=0.1&amp;permmsgid=msg-a:r1023530675928862392&amp;th=1734a12a379a3d99&amp;view=fimg&amp;sz=s0-l75-ft&amp;attbid=ANGjdJ-jr8rQ7NREVOWCyS9W3SBtMvSwRC1ZMKwfrVVncZstKtzKf1cyLIGj-ej7-zvfhNC4Gmdzy_otvrprdil-K3vQiYKhGRybM5KNwVzDEJzWmA-KmZzjLGiaiYw&amp;disp=emb&amp;realattid=1734a1293a05ffd84411" width="390" height="844" data-image-whitelisted="" /></div>
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<div class="image"><img class="CToWUd a6T aligncenter" tabindex="0" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&amp;ik=6a4a7f29c8&amp;attid=0.1&amp;permmsgid=msg-a:r937626973434333141&amp;th=1734a08c542df286&amp;view=fimg&amp;sz=s0-l75-ft&amp;attbid=ANGjdJ8SIJ9p5n4NcuQ5MOuUKFkn7IMLW83fPGCnbLd7RhvBzWaHDMB9cQAj3Eje5h5o6pEoLiraa2EL9vGijDwUB2Yv8DkqVveDVwbiI92uF4JGaC3jOqN1tMpsxw4&amp;disp=emb&amp;realattid=1734a08a65954e03d0b1" width="320" height="635" data-image-whitelisted="" /><img class=" wp-image-514132 aligncenter" src="https://static.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/12-8.jpg" alt="" width="341" height="311" data-src="https://static.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/12-8.jpg" /></div>
&#8220;I prefer the attacks that are just like name calling and that sort of thing,&#8221; Neidert said. &#8220;The whole witch stuff, it hasn&#8217;t really freaked me out, but it&#8217;s been concerning. I think that it&#8217;s alarming that there are this many young adults who find that acceptable.&#8221; As a Christian, Neidert views the witchcraft being used against her and her organization as &#8220;pure evil, especially when they make references to Satan and they think it&#8217;s funny.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not funny, and I&#8217;m definitely more concerned for them than I am for myself, if they think that&#8217;s okay,&#8221; she added.
A spokesman for UNT College Democrats told <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/student-invokes-satan-to-drive-conservative-group-from-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Washington Free Beacon</a> they had no comment on the hexing but stood behind their petition, which they said was not in response to YCT&#8217;s politics. &#8220;This is not a choice made by political decision, we do not care that they are conservatives, we would do this if any group on campus was spreading the rhetoric YCT spreads,&#8221; they said.
A spokesman for UNT GLAD echoed the College Democrats and said they would begin an emailing campaign if the administration fails to respond to the petition&#8217;s demands. The University of North Texas did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment.
Since the election of President Donald Trump, occultists have grown increasingly brazen in ceremonially cursing their political opponents. Shortly after Trump&#8217;s inauguration, self-proclaimed &#8220;magical thinker&#8221; Michael M. Hughes published a &#8220;mass spell to bind Donald Trump and all those who abet him,&#8221; which went &#8220;internationally viral&#8221; to become &#8220;the largest magical working in history,&#8221; according to his <a href="https://www.michaelmhughes.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a>.
Since then, many have performed Hughes&#8217; spell repeatedly during <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39090334" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">waning crescent moons</a> with the intention of removing Trump from office. He later published &#8220;Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change,&#8221; which offers &#8220;ideas for altars, meditations, community organizing, self-care, and [&#8230;] a toolkit for magical people or first-time spellcasters who want to manifest equality and peace.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It&#39;s finally here! MAGIC FOR THE RESISTANCE: RITUALS AND SPELLS FOR CHANGE is on store shelves and shipping from online retailers. Ask for it at your local bookseller or order online: <a href="https://t.co/JjnB5ENBig">https://t.co/JjnB5ENBig</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BindTrump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BindTrump</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicResistance?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicResistance</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WitchHunt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WitchHunt</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M4TR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#M4TR</a> <a href="https://t.co/cU503saxYv">pic.twitter.com/cU503saxYv</a>
&mdash; Michael M. Bind Trump Hughes (@michaelmhughes) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelmhughes/status/1039587937393037315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Shortly after contentious confirmation hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh, witches made headlines when they repeatedly gathered to hex him at Catland, an occult bookstore in Brooklyn. In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/179836286297165/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">statement on Facebook</a> advertising the ritual to the public, Catland wrote, &#8220;We are embracing witchcraft’s true roots as the magik [sic] of the poor, the downtrodden and disenfranchised and it’s [sic] history as often the only weapon, the only means of exacting justice available to those of us who have been wronged by men just like him.&#8221;
Father Gary Thomas, the Catholic exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose, held a special Mass in response to hex, telling <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/catholic-exorcist-holding-special-mass-counter-witches-hex-kavanaugh-1176666" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Newsweek</a>, &#8220;The decision to do this against a Supreme Court justice is a heinous act and says a lot about the character of these people that should not be underestimated or dismissed. These are real evil people.&#8221;
During the protests that erupted last month in the wake of George Floyd&#8217;s death, videos offering instruction for performing rituals of protection for protesters went viral on the TikTok app under the hashtag &#8220;#BLMWitches,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/11/black-lives-matter-surprise-supporters-mitt-romney-gushers-elmo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a>. One of the witches told <a href="https://www.bustle.com/wellness/witches-on-tiktok-support-black-lives-matter-with-spells-hexes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bustle</a>, &#8220;Hexes and curses can be used to slow police down — witchcraft is all about manipulating the supernatural to your will.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-satanic-temple-threatens-to-sue-mississippi-if-god-mentioned-on-state-flag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Satanic Temple Threatens To Sue Mississippi If God Mentioned On State Flag</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Witchcraft

‘Pure Evil’: Conservative Student Organization In Texas Under Attack From Witches And Liberal Student Groups

College Democrats

College Republicans

Occult

Texas

Appearing on “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo this week, Trump administration trade advisor Peter Navarro discussed the ongoing examination of popular short-form video sharing app TikTok.
“The other thing that&#8217;s on the table that we need to talk about is this whole TikTok, WeChat social media thing,” Navarro stated following a discussion between himself and Bartiromo about Hong Kong.
<blockquote>What the American people have to understand is, all the data that goes into those mobile apps that kids have so much fun with and seem so convenient, it goes right to servers in China, right to the Chinese military, the Chinese Communist Party, and the agencies which want to steal our intellectual property.
Those apps can be used to steal personal and financial information for blackmail and extortion. They can be used to steal business intellectual property and proprietary secrets.</blockquote>
Navarro added that “besides surveilling and tracking Americans,” Chinese mobile apps can be used for “information warfare” purposes, stressing that what China wants is for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to win in November.
The trade advisor continued, comparing TikTok and WeChat to Chinese phone maker Huawei, which he suggested placed “an American puppet in charge &#8230; as the CEO” in order to claim that the entity is independent of China, and therefore not a threat to America.
“They&#8217;re trying that game with TikTok,” Navarro stated. “Not gonna work.”
Navarro then told Bartiromo to “expect strong action on that.”
Bartiromo noted that the American CEO of TikTok used to work at Disney, “but the Chinese individual who’s a communist member is the chairman.”
“But this is what I thought was really interesting. This week, we had a headline that says Democratic National Committee is warning against campaigns on using TikTok,” the host added. “Even the Democratic National Committee is voicing concern.”
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As scrutiny over TikTok has intensified, there has been a push by some to ban the app.
In March, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senators-hawley-scott-introduce-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices">legislation</a> that would “ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government devices,” according to a statement on Hawley’s Senate website.
Sen. Hawley said at the time:
<blockquote>TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that includes Chinese Communist Party members on its board, and it is required by law to share user data with Beijing. The company even admitted it collects user data while their app is running in the background – including the messages people send, pictures they share, their keystrokes and location data, you name it. As many of our federal agencies have already recognized, TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices.</blockquote>
On Friday, Amazon reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-says-order-for-employees-to-delete-tiktok-was-sent-in-error">sent an email</a> to its employees, which was obtained by The New York Times, instructing them to delete TikTok from their “mobile devices that access Amazon email” due to “security risks.” However, an Amazon spokesperson later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-says-order-for-employees-to-delete-tiktok-was-sent-in-error">stated</a> that the email had been “sent in error.”
“There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok,” they said.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-says-order-for-employees-to-delete-tiktok-was-sent-in-error">Amazon Says Order For Employees To Delete TikTok Was ‘Sent In Error’</a>
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Navarro On TikTok: ‘All The Data’ ‘Goes Right To Servers In China’

Peter Navarro

Soon after Amazon reportedly sent an email to employees instructing them to delete the app TikTok over cybersecurity concerns, the company issued a statement saying that the email was sent out by accident.
The New York Times first reported on the original email, which instructed employees to delete the social media app by Friday due to unspecified cybersecurity concerns that could arise from phones with access to the company’s email accounts.
“Due to security risks, the TikTok app is no longer permitted on mobile devices that access Amazon email,” said the company in an email obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1281632998509744129">the Times</a>. “If you have TikTok on your device, you must remove it by 10-Jul to retain mobile access to Amazon email. At this time, using TikTok from your Amazon laptop browser is allowed.”
After reports of the purported policy change spread, Amazon told <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/10/21320196/amazon-employees-tiktok-uninstall-email-trump-administration-pompeo-ban">The Verge</a> in a statement that there was no policy change, and the email was sent out by mistake.
“This morning’s email to some of our employees was sent in error,” said the spokesperson. “There is no change to our policies right now with regard to TikTok.”
After the development, The Verge reports that a spokesperson for TikTok responded: “While Amazon did not communicate to us before sending their email, and we still do not understand their concerns, we welcome a dialogue so we can address any issues they may have and enable their team to continue participating in our community.”
But Tiktok, wildly popular among GenZ as a video-sharing app, has increasingly been the focus of privacy concerns among policy makers and government officials. In fact, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/technology/tiktok-amazon-security-risk.html">The New York Times</a> reports the app “has long been a concern of American intelligence officials, who fear the social networking app is a thinly veiled data collection service.”
The Times reports:
<blockquote>Last month, a researcher uncovered that TikTok had the ability to siphon off anything a user copied to a clipboard on a smartphone — passwords, photos and other sensitive data like Social Security numbers, emails and texts. The researcher began posting the findings on the online message board Reddit.
The researcher, who goes by the handle Bangorlol, also said that TikTok was capturing data about a user’s phone hardware and data on other apps installed on the phone. Many of these abilities are found in other apps, but TikTok’s developers had gone out of their way to prevent anyone from analyzing the app, the researcher said.</blockquote>
During an appearance on <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1280352958752985089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1280352958752985089%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Ftiktok-pompeo-united-states-weighing-ban-chinese-social-media-apps%2F">Fox News</a>, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that only people who want their “private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party” should download the app.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) released a statement after Amazon’s email was publicly disclosed saying “the whole federal government should follow suit.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Now the whole federal government should follow suit <a href="https://t.co/AVGpeMeWgB">https://t.co/AVGpeMeWgB</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1281644812744171520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
Back in March, Hawley introduced legislation to ban the social media app from government devices, citing security concerns, the company&#8217;s ties to China, and its alleged data collection practices.
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Amazon Says Order For Employees To Delete TikTok Was ‘Sent In Error’

Amazon

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during an interview on Monday that the United States government was considering a ban on the Chinese app TikTok over security concerns.
&#8220;TikTok — which is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance — has been repeatedly criticized by US politicians who accused the short-form video app of being a threat to national security because of its ties to China,&#8221; CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/07/tech/us-tiktok-ban/index.html">reported</a>. &#8220;The company has also run into roadblocks elsewhere. Last week, the Indian government said it would ban TikTok and other well-known Chinese apps because they pose a &#8216;threat to sovereignty and integrity.'&#8221;
Pompeo made the remarks in the following exchange during an interview on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;The Ingraham Angle&#8221; with host Laura Ingraham:
<blockquote>INGRAHAM: Finally, Mr. Secretary, the huge Chinese app TikTok has about 30 million users in the United States but it&#8217;s been banned now India and Australia is considering the same action, saying that TikTok was full of mass surveillance and propaganda and also that the app had the ability to feed information straight to Beijing. So, kind of obvious question, if all that&#8217;s the case, shouldn&#8217;t we be considering right now, tonight, a ban on Chinese social media apps, especially TikTok?&#8221;
POMPEO: Well, your viewers should know we are taking this very seriously. We&#8217;re certainly looking at it. We&#8217;ve worked on this very issue for a long time, whether it was the problems of having Huawei technology in your infrastructure, we&#8217;ve gone all over the world and we&#8217;re making real progress getting that out. We declared ZTE a danger to American national security. We&#8217;ve done all these things with respect to Chinese apps on people&#8217;s cell phones. I can assure you the United States will get this one right too. I don&#8217;t want to get out in front of the president but it&#8217;s something that we&#8217;re looking at.
INGRAHAM: Would you recommend that people download that app on their phones tonight, tomorrow, anytime currently?
POMPEO: Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.</blockquote>
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sec. Pompeo when asked if the Administration has considered banning TikTok: “We’re certainly looking at it.” <a href="https://t.co/N9NmbDOka0">pic.twitter.com/N9NmbDOka0</a>
&mdash; Benny (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1280352958752985089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The U.S. military banned service members from using TikTok earlier this year over national security concerns.
&#8220;Representatives for the Coast Guard and Air Force said that their members aren’t allowed to use TikTok on any government-issued devices, making them the latest branches of the armed forces to publicly declare the app off-limits,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-bans-tiktok-over-ties-to-china-11578090613">reported</a>. &#8220;The announcements follow similar decisions from the Defense Department, Navy, Army, and Marines.&#8221;
The Journal added that officials from the different service branches have urged troops and their dependents to delete the app from their personal devices.
Tensions between the United States and China have risen dramatically in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic from China, which the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly lied about. The pandemic has caused trillions of dollars in economic damage to the global economy and has caused significant damage to the U.S. economy and to various aspects of life in the U.S.
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U.S. Considering Ban On TikTok, Other Chinese Apps Over Security Concerns

CNN&#8217;s Brian Stelter celebrated users of the China-owned TikTok allegedly utilizing the platform to sabotage President Trump&#8217;s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
Citing the photos of empty seats at Trump&#8217;s rally on Saturday, a notable departure from his typically large crowd size, Stelter credited TikTok user Mary Jo Laupp for the lower turnout due to a video she produced urging people to sign up for the rally and then ditch.
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&#8220;It seems that one of the other reasons why there were so many empty seats is a no-show protest,&#8221; Stelter said on &#8220;Reliable Sources,&#8221; as <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2020/06/21/stelter-credits-china-owned-app-users-trump-rally-sabotage">reported</a> by Newsbusters. &#8220;A no-show protest. This all started with a video on TikTok created by Mary Jo Laupp, who’s being effectively called a ‘TikTok grandma.’ So, she made a video more than a week ago urging viewers to go to Trump&#8217;s site, sign up to attend the rally, but pointedly not show up at the rally.&#8221;
&#8220;Her video was viewed tens of thousands – hundreds of thousands of times, and then her video led to others, you had younger TikTok users going on posting similar videos, K-Pop fans were on there as well trying to sabotage Trump&#8217;s rally,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And look, it did seem to work to some degree. We don&#8217;t know exactly how well, but Trump&#8217;s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, was out there talking about how many people were signing up. Trump was bragging that there were a million people RSVP&#8217;ing, they were gathering all this data about people they can use for the campaign. But apparently it was a bunch of kids, a bunch of teenagers signing up as a protest.&#8221;
Stelter then invited on Mary Jo Laupp, a.k.a. &#8220;TikTok Grandma,&#8221; who expressed anger that President Trump originally planned to conduct his rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa.
&#8220;I had educated myself on Black Wall Street and understood better why black content creators on various social platforms were really upset and frustrated with the original plan of Juneteenth for the rally in Tulsa,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And I posted a video late Thursday night, the 11th, that was just sort of meant to be a frustrated rant. I had 1,000 followers on TikTok at that point. Most of my videos were seen a couple hundred times, maybe.&#8221;
After Laupp&#8217;s video went viral, which Stelter was noticeably enthusiastic about, hundreds of people started signing up for the rally.
&#8220;All I know is I was at a birthday party for one of my grandkids and my phone started blowing up with friends wanting to make sure I’d seen what was going on, and I hadn’t been paying attention,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;Do you think this is how it&#8217;s going to be from now on, whenever the President holds a rally there&#8217;s going to be this attempt to prank him, to troll him, to trick him?&#8221; Stelter asked.
&#8220;And I don&#8217;t think it was just an issue of pranking him. I think you’ve got a lot kids in the younger generation, 20-year-olds and teens, who are very aware – they&#8217;re much more aware and much more self-educated when it comes to things like black culture,&#8221; she replied.
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CNN Heroes &#8211; Red Carpet

Brian Stelter Partially Credits TikTok Users For Sabotaging Trump Rally

Brian Stelter

On Sunday, President Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, issued a <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/trump-campaign-statement-on-bogus-claims-of-ticket-hacking">statement</a> responding to the emerging idea that the lower-than-expected numbers at the Tulsa rally on Saturday were due in part to a campaign by young TikTok pranksters falsely registered with no intention of attending.
“Leftists and online trolls doing a victory lap, thinking they somehow impacted rally attendance, don’t know what they’re talking about or how our rallies work. Reporters who wrote gleefully about TikTok and K-Pop fans – without contacting the campaign for comment – behaved unprofessionally and were willing dupes to the charade,” reads the statement.
Parscale then claimed that the team “constantly” raked out “bogus numbers” for the rally, adding that such “phony ticket requests never factor into our thinking.”
“What makes this lame attempt at hacking our events even more foolish is the fact that every rally is general admission – entry is on a first-come-first-served basis and prior registration is not required,” the statement continued.
Parscale then blamed the low attendance numbers at the Tulsa rally on “fake news media warning people away from the rally because of COVID and protestors, coupled with recent images of American cities on fire.”
The campaign manager also alleged that “MSNBC was among outlets reporting that protesters even blocked entrances to the rally at times.”
He concluded by calling out the media for their alleged manufacturing of “fear,” and wondered why media are credentialed at these events “when they don’t do their full jobs as professionals.”
“According to a spokesman for the Tulsa Fire Department on Sunday, the fire marshal counted 6,200 scanned tickets of attendees,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/style/tiktok-trump-rally-tulsa.html">The New York Times</a>. “That number would not include staff, media or those in box suites.”
Following the Tulsa rally on Saturday evening, which was supposed to be a major kick-off event for President Trump’s fall campaign, various <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/style/tiktok-trump-rally-tulsa.html">reports</a> emerged regarding a campaign by an unknown number of TikTok users who allegedly registered for large numbers of tickets with no intent of showing up at the rally.
This alleged social media prank, some have claimed, was why entire sections of the arena with a capacity for over 19,000 attendees were seen empty during the rally.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/style/tiktok-trump-rally-tulsa.html">spoke</a> with YouTuber Elijah Daniel, who told them, “It spread mostly through Alt TikTok – we kept it on the quiet side where people do pranks and a lot of activism.”
Parscale’s dismissal of the TikTok prank claim was preceded by a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-boasts-that-trumps-tulsa-turnout-was-sabotaged-by-zoomers-who-got-fake-ticket-reservations">tweet</a> on Saturday evening saying that “radical protestors, fueled by a week of apocalyptic media coverage, interfered with @realDonaldTrump supporters at the rally. They even blocked access to the metal detectors, preventing people from entering.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-boasts-that-trumps-tulsa-turnout-was-sabotaged-by-zoomers-who-got-fake-ticket-reservations">replied</a>:
<blockquote>Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/fake ticket reservations &amp; tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID. Shout out to Zoomers. Y’all make me so proud.</blockquote>
On Sunday, Trump senior campaign advisor Mercedes Schlapp appeared on “Fox News Sunday” where host Chris Wallace claimed that after watching the footage and hearing from a Fox News correspondent “on the ground,” Parscale’s excuse regarding protesters keeping people from the rally didn’t appear accurate.
<blockquote>WALLACE: The fact is, the president talks about the attendance at his events, as we all know. He made a big issue of the attendance at his inauguration, he talks about how he can fill an arena, and that Joe Biden can&#8217;t. He didn&#8217;t fill an arena last night, and you guys were so far off that you had planned an outdoor rally and there wasn&#8217;t an overflow crowd – and watching the coverage and talking to Mark Meredith on the ground today, protestors did not stop people from coming to that rally. The fact is, people didn’t show up.
SCHLAPP: Oh, absolutely they did. I’m telling you, there were people and families that didn&#8217;t want to – couldn’t bring their children because of concerns of the protesters.</blockquote>
Schlapp pivoted to Joe Biden’s socially-distanced event, and compared the enthusiasm over Trump with the alleged lack of enthusiasm for Biden. She added that “because we are in a virtual time,” there were millions who watched the rally online.
Wallace pushed back, asking Schlapp not to “filibuster,” as images of empty seats were displayed on-screen. “Frankly, it makes you guys look silly when you deny the reality of what happened.”
Schlapp replied, saying that the campaign wasn’t “denying the reality.”
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6OpXGC01dVM?start=56" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Trump rally

Trump Team Denies TikTok Pranksters Were Cause Of Low Rally Attendance

2020 Election

On Thursday, with the help of The Washington Post and using the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, former Vice President Joe Biden, who has harshly criticized President Trump for not wearing a mask on occasion,  starred in a video instructing others to wear a mask in public, even if they were not around other people. That triggered the Trump campaign to fire back with a reminder that Biden had apparently violated his own instructions no more than two days ago.
The video shows Dave Jorgenson, whose <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetjorgenson">LinkedIn profile</a> states that he is a “Producer/Writer &#8211; Creative Video at The Washington Post,” walking his dog when a message comes through the earphones for his cell phone. Biden’s voice can be heard saying, “Hello, folks; it’s Joe Biden and you’re listening to ‘Here’s The Deal.’ Dave, what the hell?”
As Jorgenson holds the phone showing Biden’s face with a mock game show screen reading, “Here’s The Deal w Joe Biden,” Biden’s voice continues, “I told you to wear your mask outside.”
Jorgenson, looking around and looking bewildered, asks, “Mr. Vice President?”
The phone then shows Biden as he responds, “Yeah, Dave. It’s me.”
Jorgenson, still looking around: “How are you doing this?”
Biden: &#8220;You need to wear your mask outside. I don’t care if you’re just walking your dog.”
Jorgenson, donning a mask: “Is that better?”
Biden: &#8220;He’s never gonna learn.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Washington Post is now creating de facto campaign ads for Joe Biden (featuring unnecessary guidance regarding masks outside when you’re by yourself).
Interesting strategy. <a href="https://t.co/tJi11XpcmW">https://t.co/tJi11XpcmW</a>
&mdash; Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveKrak/status/1266023122710532097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Tuesday, Biden tweeted “Wear a mask.” As <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/499925-joe-biden-does-face-mask-awareness-tiktok-with-wapo">The Hill</a> noted, &#8220;Biden was also seen wearing a mask to a Memorial Day ceremony, as his campaign attempts to show a sharp contrast between President Trump, who has been seen without one in public on multiple occasions.&#8221;
On Tuesday, Biden stated, &#8220;Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine.”
Biden’s warning about wearing a mask outside even if one is alone would seem to fly in the face of Biden’s own actions, as the Trump campaign pointed out of Biden’s interview with CNN’s Dana Bash:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Biden today: &quot;You need to wear your mask outside. I don&#39;t care if you&#39;re just walking your dog.&quot;
Joe Biden 2 days ago: <a href="https://t.co/eYw8hAJZin">pic.twitter.com/eYw8hAJZin</a>
&mdash; Trump War Room &#8211; Text TRUMP to 88022 &amp; get the APP (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1266022265788997632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Newsbusters’ managing editor Curtis Houck <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/curtis-houck/2020/05/26/loyal-lackey-cnns-bash-goes-soft-biden-helps-him-push-conspiracy">pilloried the softball interview</a>, writing:
<blockquote>Naturally, Trump-hating and fear-loving CNN served Tuesday as Joe Biden’s first in-person interview since the coronavirus pandemic began and, right on cue, chief political correspondent Dana Bash fulfilled her role as a real-life Bashful, liberal foot solider, and citizen of Zuckerville. Between softball questions and assisting Biden in touting anti-Trump conspiracy theories, it was mission accomplished.
Of course, Bash refused to ask about Tara Reade or the refusal from the University of Delaware to release any of Biden’s Senate papers that could provide the public more information on what was internally written at the time of Reade’s allegations. So much for journalism.</blockquote>
In the interview, Bash stirred the pot, saying, “But wearing a mask has become a cultural and political flashpoint. The President is involved in that, even stoking that.”
Biden replied, “Sure, he is and look, he&#8217;s stoking deaths. That&#8217;s not going to increase the likelihood that people are going to be better off.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Former Vice President Biden Virtual Address As Group Launches $10 Million In Ads

Biden Joins WaPo To Release Video Warning To Wear Masks. Trump Campaign Reminds Biden Of Something.

Face Mask

Joe Biden

Trump campaign

Washington Post

On Tuesday, TikToker fckjoshy, who has a following of 3.3 million, released a video in which he dumps a multi-gallon container of cereal and milk onto the floor of a subway car in New York City.
People in the car lift their feet, and one man gets up and moves away from the splashy mess.
The video’s creator, Josh Popkin, narrates the prank:
<blockquote>I accidentally dropped a whole tub of cereal on the subway today. I was like, “Oh my god, this is the worst day of my life! Not my Fruity Pebbles!” Everyone started moving away and filming me. When I was like, “Can someone help?” surprisingly no one offered, so I had to put all the soggy cereal back in by myself. Someone was like, “I cannot believe this is happening.” I was like, “I can’t believe this is happening again.”</blockquote>
The video was viewed at least 3.3 million times on TikTok before disappearing, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/15/us/new-york-subway-prank-trnd/index.html">CNN</a>, and one copy on Twitter has been viewed 6.6 million times as of publication.
Once on Twitter, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) retweeted it with the caption: “A new low: Pulling a prank on essential workers in the middle of a global pandemic. And making essential workers clean up your mess. Despicable.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A new low: Pulling a prank on essential workers in the middle of a global pandemic. And making essential workers clean up your mess. Despicable. <a href="https://t.co/hMu8g5cJY9">https://t.co/hMu8g5cJY9</a>
— MTA. Stay Home. Stop the Spread. (@MTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MTA/status/1260715836957954048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
Following the tweet from the MTA, many users expressed anger at Popkin.
Popkin later uploaded an apology video to YouTube, which has garnered more than 51,000 views.
In the description portion below the video, it reads: “I messed up. I mean I REALLY messed up. This is my apology. All Adsense money from this video will be donated to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.”
In the video, Popkin apologizes, <a href="https://youtu.be/VAKsHBqku7M">stating in part</a>:
<blockquote>Everyone who&#8217;s watching this video, dislike right now. I&#8217;m an idiot. I&#8217;m such a f****** idiot. I would like to apologize to the MTA, the essential workers, everyone that I have affected. Trust me, I am experiencing the consequences of all of my actions right now. First of all, I&#8217;m not funny. Usually, I try to be funny and I&#8217;m not funny. I honestly thought it was going to be something that would make people laugh and bring joy in this serious time. Obviously, I was way off the mark. I f***** up. I went over the line. I made a mistake, and the fact that I even thought that that was okay is ridiculous.</blockquote>
Popkin spends the rest of the video reading “fifty of the most hateful comments” he received as a result of the prank.
The MTA issued a tweet on Friday stating that they had received Popkin’s apology, and “MTA police have referred this matter to the detective squad.” The tweet also suggested that TikTok “should ban this user and prohibit reckless stunts like this on trains and buses.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We’ve received Mr. Popkin’s apology.
MTA police have referred this matter to the detective squad.<a href="https://twitter.com/tiktok_us?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tiktok_us</a> should ban this user and prohibit reckless stunts like this on trains and buses. <a href="https://t.co/xDZMIdsnQl">https://t.co/xDZMIdsnQl</a>
— MTA. Stay Home. Stop the Spread. (@MTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MTA/status/1261313014550200320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
Twitter user @jeremysallen said that Popkin’s “apology should be to clean the train.”
User @zbgale added: “Every. Freaking. Train. And station.”
Other users had similar ideas. @This_Is_Genesis wrote: “No jail time for him, give him community service, have him help the essential MTA workers that spend all night cleaning the trains to ensure proper safety for other essential workers. Have him clean the trains as punishment for 1 year!!!!”
Other users suggested that Popkin be banned from TikTok, and even fined.
According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/15/us/new-york-subway-prank-trnd/index.html">CNN</a>, “an NYPD spokeswoman [said] &#8230; that the department is looking into the matter.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

TikToker’s Cereal Prank On New York City Subway Leads To Major Backlash, Apology

Coronavirus

New York City

subway

A viral TikTok video appears to show dancing nurses carrying a mock corpse of a COVID-19 patient down a vacant hospital hallway.
The video, posted by TikTok user Joed Marie Laboy Des, quickly went viral Wednesday on social media.
Nurses, decked out in personal protective equipment, or PPE, appear to be re-creating a play on a viral coronavirus &#8220;<a href="https://pop.inquirer.net/91342/viral-dancing-men-with-coffin">coffin</a>&#8221; meme, which apparently originated at an African funeral.
TikTok videos of nurses and healthcare professionals performing choreographed dances and goofy skits has become commonplace in the age of COVID-19.
Though COVID hotspots are buried with testing and coronavirus patients, many pop-up hospitals, expanded ICU units, and non-COVID sections and facilities are far below capacity.
Mass layoffs of tens of thousands, if not well over 100,000 health care workers at this point, has become an unintended consequence of lockdown measures.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is stunning: Nearly half of the Q1 decline in GDP can be attributed to healthcare, which is presumably delaying of elective procedures.
It&#39;s a strange reality that in the midst of a pandemic, we have a healthcare-led recession. <a href="https://t.co/G3IezQkEzX">pic.twitter.com/G3IezQkEzX</a>
&mdash; Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinWolfers/status/1255479750593859584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As highlighted by both The New York Times and The Associated Press, hospitals and health care facilities across the nation have delayed so-called elective surgeries and non-COVID-19 related medical actions in preparation for the predicted onslaught of novel coronavirus patients, mostly by state order,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/coronavirus-hospitals-across-nation-lay-off-tens-of-thousands-of-healthcare-workers">The Daily Wire</a> reported April 6.
“Tens of thousands of medical workers across the United States are suddenly out of work as operating rooms and doctor’s offices go dark, casualties of urgent calls to prioritize coronavirus patients at overwhelmed hospitals and of the economic waves the crisis is churning,” <a href="https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/health-care-jobs-are-a-mounting-casualty-of-coronavirus-crisis/507-d656ba85-b425-49c3-85b5-b325340e3a64">The Associated Press</a> reported earlier this month. “Big-city physician and specialist groups, tiny independent hospitals from Oregon to Connecticut, and big multistate hospital systems such as Steward Health Care are seeing big dropoffs in revenue and laying off or furloughing hundreds of workers.”
Two weeks ago, the Mayo Clinic announced that they are cutting $1.6 billion in pay after taking a stunning $3 billion revenue loss triggered by delays to so-called elective surgeries and non-COVID-19 related medical actions in preparation for the predicted onslaught of novel coronavirus patients, mostly by state order, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shutdown-continues-to-hurt-healthcare-mayo-clinic-cuts-1-6-billion-in-pay-quest-diagnostics-lays-off-thousands">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
Moreover, Quest Diagnostics, ironically leading the way in testing for the novel coronavirus, announced their plan to lay off thousands, too, again the result of the COVID-19 response.
According to a <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://healthlandscape.org/covid19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a">HealthLandscape</a> and American Academy of Family Physicians report released this month, nearly 20,000 family practices will shutter or scale back, with 260,000 of their employees getting pink slips or taking pay and hourly cuts. By the end of June, the report said, an estimated 60,000 family practices are expected to close or downgrade, with a stunning 800,000 of their employees being laid off or taking pay and hourly cuts.
According to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/4/8/21213995/coronavirus-us-layoffs-furloughs-hospitals">Vox</a>, hundreds of hospitals could close due to our COVID-19 response policies: “Hospitals have taken <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/3/26/21192191/coronavirus-us-new-york-hospitals-doctors-nurses">huge revenue losses</a> as they postpone elective surgeries and other routine care so they can make more staff and space available for the Covid-19 response,” Vox acknowledged. “Some hospitals expect to lose half their income, and the top industry trade groups have warned that hundreds of hospitals could close after this crisis.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The corona tik tok nurse videos cannot get any wor&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/vVNjbX5cNm">pic.twitter.com/vVNjbX5cNm</a>
&mdash; ESSENTIAL Julia Song (@realjuliasong) <a href="https://twitter.com/realjuliasong/status/1255619980646912000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Respiratory mask on desk in office, Protective medical mask with 2019-nCoV, Coronavirus protection concept.

WATCH: TikTok Video Appears To Show Dancing Nurses Carrying Fake COVID-19 ‘Corpse’ Down Hospital Hall

COVID-19

Singer-songwriter and proud &#8220;twerk&#8221; queen Lizzo, whose full name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has suggested China-owned app TikTok is censoring some of her videos because she&#8217;s overweight.
&#8220;Lizzo has accused TikTok of repeatedly taking down her videos in which she wears bathing suits without holding other women to the same standard,&#8221; <a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-tiktok-removing-videos-bikinis-bathing-suits-2020-3">Insider</a> reported earlier this month.
In a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lizzo?lang=en">video</a> the singer posted to the app, Lizzo called out the apparent censorship.
&#8220;Tiktok keeps taking down my videos with me in my bathing suits but allows other videos with girls in bathing suits,&#8221; text from Lizzo appears on the screen, as the 31-year-old mouthed the words &#8220;I know&#8221; repeatedly.
&#8220;I wonder why?&#8221; the text continues. &#8220;Tiktok&#8230; we need to talk.&#8221;
Troubling claims of censorship have been repeatedly made against TikTok. In November 2019, former employees of the viral app told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/05/inside-tiktok-culture-clash-where-us-views-about-censorship-often-were-overridden-by-chinese-bosses/">The Washington Post</a> that moderators in China &#8220;directed them to censor &#8216;culturally problematic&#8217; videos deemed &#8216;subversive or controversial&#8217; to the Chinese government,&#8221; <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-china-censorship-employees-restrict-content-dancing-vaping-2019-11">Business Insider</a> outlined.
&#8220;Six ex-TikTok employees <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/05/inside-tiktok-culture-clash-where-us-views-about-censorship-often-were-overridden-by-chinese-bosses/" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="40">told The Washington Post</a> that Chinese workers had the &#8216;final call&#8217; on what content was blocked or otherwise restricted. Employees in the US said that as recently as this spring, they were told to restrict content showing vaping, &#8216;heavy kissing and more suggestive dance moves,&#8217; or &#8216;social and political topics,&#8221; the report said, adding, &#8220;TikTok, though based in the United States, is owned by Chinese company ByteDance — raising <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-us-opens-national-security-investigation-into-tiktok-sources-2019-11" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="40">concerns from lawmakers</a>, national security officials, and users alike that the Chinese government exerts some measure of control over the content posted on the platform. The US government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-us-opens-national-security-investigation-into-tiktok-sources-2019-11" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="40">is now reportedly investigating</a> ByteDance over national security concerns.&#8221;
&#8220;They want to be a global company, and numbers-wise, they&#8217;ve had that success,&#8221; one source told the Post. &#8220;But the purse is still in China: The money always comes from there, and the decisions all come from there.&#8221;
After Lizzo made the claims of &#8220;fat-shaming&#8221; censorship, a TikTok spokesperson told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/05/lizzo-tiktok-body-shaming-censorship-social-media">The Guardian</a> that some of the singer&#8217;s videos were removed because they violated their guidelines.
&#8220;A TikTok spokesperson told the Guardian that Lizzo’s videos were not removed because she was wearing a bathing suit,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;They cited other violations, including &#8216;sexual gratification&#8217;, that lead to a moderator initially banning the videos. The spokesperson specifically <a class="u-underline" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lizzo?lang=en" data-link-name="in body link">cited one video</a> that featured Lizzo lifting up her dress to reveal her undergarments. There was initial confusion over what the garments were. After officials at TikTok spoke to Lizzo’s team, and the undergarments were confirmed to be Spanx, not underwear, the videos were reinstated exactly as they were originally uploaded. &#8216;We love Lizzo’s creativity,&#8217; the spokesperson said. &#8216;And the videos were originally removed because of other violations, not a bathing suit.'&#8221;
Lizzo made headlines in December when she exposed her buttocks at a Laker&#8217;s game and &#8220;twerked&#8221; for the crowd.
“Who I am and the essence of me and the things that I choose to do as a grown-a** woman can inspire you to do the same,” she responded to criticism over the incident, <a href="https://people.com/music/lizzo-defends-thong-outfit-criticism-no-effect/?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag&amp;utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com">People magazine</a> reported. “You don’t have to be like me. You need to be like you. And never ever let somebody stop you or shame you from being yourself.”
“Like, this is who I’ve always been,” Lizzo added. “Now everyone’s looking at it and your criticism can just remain your criticism … Negative criticism has no stake in my life, no control over my life, over my emotions. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, I’m surrounded by love.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-lizzo-responds-to-criticism-over-thong-twerking-session-at-laker-game-kiss-my-a">WATCH: Lizzo Responds To Criticism Over Thong Twerking Session At Laker Game: Kiss My A**</a>

Lizzo

Lizzo Suggests China-Owned TikTok Censoring Her Bathing Suit Twerking Videos Because She’s Fat

A disturbing video celebrating the abortion of a young girl has gone viral on media platform TikTok, racking up over 4,000,000 views.
In the video, a young girl, joined by her friend, is seen preparing for her abortion by showing off her baby-bump and listening to upbeat music while pumping her fist.
&#8220;Abortion time! TAKE 2,&#8221; reads the text posted at the beginning of the video.
When the girls go to a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, the video pans to a clearly upset couple. &#8220;There&#8217;s [sic] two abortion moods,&#8221; text reads, before panning to the smiling pregnant girl pumping her fist in anticipation of the abortion.
Inside a room at the Planned Parenthood clinic, the girl is shown in stirrups having an ultrasound.
While the celebration of a girl&#8217;s abortion, where a living human is killed, apparently does not break any of TikTok&#8217;s rules, pro-life content has repeatedly been censored on the platform.
For example, pro-life organization Live Action was banned outright in January from TikTok for &#8220;violating community guidelines,” before being restored post-backlash.
The video that landed the organization a temporary ban merely featured women talking about their decision to choose life over abortion, as highlighted in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-life-org-live-action-banned-from-tiktok">Daily Wire</a> report at the time.
“TikTok has just BANNED &amp; permanently removed Live Action from the platform,” Live Action founder Rose <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1223266405392338944?s=20">said on Twitter</a>. “My team grew the largest pro-life voice on the platform We had 21,000 followers &amp; over a million video views This is another egregious attack on the pro-life movement by pro-abortion Big Tech.”
“TikTok has a larger active user base than: Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit,” she continued. “With 800 million active users. Just shy of Instagram’s 1 billion active users. It is a crucial platform to spread our life-saving message on.”
Rose concluded, “This is blatant viewpoint discrimination and an egregious attempt to silence pro-life voices. TikTok must immediately reinstate our account in full and allow all voices on the platform.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is the video that TikTok says violated their “Community Guidelines” and banned us for.
In it, we share the beautiful personal stories that some of our followers have shared with us about choosing life for their babies. <a href="https://t.co/EBADFmxUEW">pic.twitter.com/EBADFmxUEW</a>
&mdash; Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1223269261734363136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Thursday, Rose again spoke out about TikTok&#8217;s inconsistently implemented &#8220;community guidelines.&#8221;
&#8220;Unbelievable: A new [TikTok] video [with] 4M views shows girls cheerfully walking into Planned Parenthood &amp; one killing her baby on camera,&#8221; she wrote via Twitter.  &#8220;It’s in violation of countless Community Guidelines against: &#8216;Violent content&#8217; &#8216;Depictions of deaths&#8217; &#8216;Dismembered humans&#8217; &amp; others.&#8221;
&#8220;Whoa. The girl in this TikTok is giggling hysterically as she heads in to get an abortion. She literally laughs as the ultrasound of her baby is shown,&#8221; commented pro-life advocate and Daily Caller reporter Mary Margaret Olohan.
&#8220;1. TikTok allows this but restricted Live Action? 2. Remember how &#8216;no one celebrates abortion?'&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Whoa. The girl in this TikTok is giggling hysterically as she heads in to get an abortion. She literally laughs as the ultrasound of her baby is shown.
1. TikTok allows this but restricted Live Action? 2. Remember how “no one celebrates abortion?”
 <a href="https://t.co/0U6z48B6Xl">pic.twitter.com/0U6z48B6Xl</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1233098104469151745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TikTok has a history of political censorship, as The Daily Wire has reported: &#8220;As noted by LifeSiteNews, TikTok has a history of censoring political content for reasons far more arbitrary than Twitter or Facebook, such as when it &#8216;<a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/11/27/girl-suspended-tik-tok-suspended-account/">temporarily suspended</a> 17-year-old Feroza Aziz over a video discussing the Chinese government’s persecution of the country’s Uighur Muslim population.'&#8221;
“TikTok reinstated her account and claimed she had been suspended over a different video (featuring a tasteless joke about Osama bin Laden), but the incident was enough to inspire Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to ask the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review the company’s conduct,&#8221; LifeSite added.
WATCH (warning: abortion content):
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Unbelievable:
A new <a href="https://twitter.com/tiktok_us?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tiktok_us</a> video w/ 4M views shows girls cheerfully walking into Planned Parenthood &amp; one killing her baby on camera.
It’s in violation of countless Community Guidelines against:
&quot;Violent content&quot;
&quot;Depictions of deaths&quot;
&quot;Dismembered humans&quot;
&amp; others
RT! <a href="https://t.co/8XioDRfxjQ">pic.twitter.com/8XioDRfxjQ</a>
&mdash; Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1233093259095769088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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TikTok

Report: Video-Sharing App TikTok Plans To File Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

TOTO: Fallon, Meyers Purposely Ignore TikTok’s Toxic Side Effects To Slam Trump

Trump Signs TikTok Executive Order After Setting Sale Deadline

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Brian Stelter Partially Credits TikTok Users For Sabotaging Trump Rally

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