Staff Reports
The Washington Examiner reports that two yappy, yet well-meaning senators, Marco Rubio of Florida and Mark Warner of Virginia, have sounded the alarm on the potential dangers of TikTok’s algorithm falling into the wrong hands. The dynamic duo appeared on the popular show Face the Nation where they wagged their fingers at the Chinese Communist Party and warned of the insidious ways in which TikTok’s algorithm could be manipulated to brainwash good ol’ Americans.
Rubio and Warner call to move TikTok algorithm out of Chinese hands https://t.co/yZRHnhCnuq
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 11, 2024
Warner, in his best concerned parent voice, worried that the Chinese Communist Party could use TikTok to spread their propaganda like peanut butter on a sandwich. He even compared it to letting China buy CBS, which in his eyes, is a big fat no-no. He also threw some shade at the Biden campaign for using TikTok, calling it a classic case of mixed messaging. He’s so disappointed, he might just ground the whole campaign.
Rubio, on the other hand, brought his A-game, explaining how TikTok’s algorithm is like the secret sauce of the platform, and it’s owned by a company called ByteDance, which just happens to be headquartered in Beijing. In his Southern drawl, he cautioned that under Chinese law, ByteDance must own the algorithm, giving them unfettered access to all our precious data. Gasp!
The pending House bill that’s got everyone’s knickers in a twist would force ByteDance to sell TikTok to someone else, like a lemonade stand at a school fair. Rubio, much like a cunning fox, didn’t outright endorse the bill, knowing that his fellow Republican lawmakers are as divided on the matter as a split log. Even former President Trump has chimed in, and as we all know, when he speaks, the GOP listens.
In the end, the concern over TikTok’s algorithm is like a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek, but instead of seeking the neighbor’s kid, the senators are on the hunt for the truth behind the Chinese ownership. And they’ll keep barking until someone listens. Woof!
