Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) became the latest far-left Squad member to voice opposition to banning the Chinese-tied social media app TikTok, saying it just “doesn’t feel right.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s comments come amidst a bipartisan push to ban TikTok from government devices over national security concerns.
Her stance was so bold that she joined the platform and posted a video there to express her opinions on the matter.
In the video, AOC called a potential ban “unprecedented” despite numerous countries having implemented such a move over similar concerns about data being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“The United States has never before banned a social media company from existence, from operating in our borders,” she said. “And this is an app that has over 150 million Americans on it.”
“It just doesn’t feel right to me,” added AOC.
Rep @AOC posts her first TikTok and it’s about the possible TikTok ban.
1. She says Congress needs a classified briefing on the national security risks.
2. US needs strict data privacy laws like Europe.
3. Shouldn’t ban an app 150 million Americans use w/o making case to them. pic.twitter.com/lXesA4S5GC
— Yashar Ali
یاشار (@yashar) March 25, 2023
RELATED: Far-Left Dem Jamaal Bowman Goes to Bat For Chinese-Owned TikTok, Says Ban is ‘Racist’
AOC’s Thoughts on a TikTok Ban
It comes as no surprise that AOC would share common cause with communist China on a matter of national security.
The CCP couldn’t ask for a better spokesperson in their defense – a vapid, mindless, social media celebrity that appeals to low-information voters who can then run defense for TikTok to their lawmakers because they really need their cat video fix for the day.
Critics of her TikTok defense noted that the Chinese-backed spying platform provided six-figure donations to the Black and Hispanic caucus non-profits.
And wouldn’t you know it? AOC, as it turns out, is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) advisory council.
AOC might screech from time to time about taxing the rich, but money definitely talks, even if it requires a defense of the CCP.
Extremely on brand for her to turn this into a “data privacy” & social media issue, leave out the info control & influence argument, not factor in decades of documented CCP history and present a dumb case in a way that will resonate with her base https://t.co/ffs6qbabcG
— Sar Haribhakti (@sarthakgh) March 26, 2023
Leaked audio from 80 internal meetings obtained by Buzzfeed News last year shows multiple TikTok employees alleging “engineers in China had access to US data between September 2021 and January 2022, at the very least.”
The data included sensitive, nonpublic data such as birthdays and phone numbers.
“Everything is seen in China,” one person described only as a member of TikTok’s Trust and Safety department said.
The National Review over the weekend reported that the Justice Department’s criminal division, the FBI, and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia have initiated an investigation into spying allegations with TikTok.
Lawmakers from both parties have stated that TikTok’s ownership by the Chinese tech company ByteDance opens up its millions of American users to data collection by the CCP.
In which @AOC echos TikTok’s talking points and ignores the app’s true threat: CCP-directed disinformation. https://t.co/njvIJiNqP3
— Michael Sobolik (@michaelsobolik) March 26, 2023
RELATED: China-Backed TikTok Has a Backup Plan to Stay in the US Amid National Security Concerns
Squad Member Says It’s ‘Racist’ to Ban TikTok
While her comments are noteworthy, AOC’s defense of China-backed TikTok does not mark the first Squad member to publicly oppose the ban, nor does it represent the dumbest remarks made by a Squad member thus far.
That might come as a surprise to some.
No, that distinction belongs to fellow Squadie and colleague from New York, Democrat Representative Jamaal Bowman.
Bowman contends that any criticism of the platform is “racist” and ‘xenophobic.’
At a press conference last week, the congressman advised lawmakers and the public to “not be racist towards China and express our xenophobia when it comes to TikTok.”
Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) posted an embarrassing video to TikTok earlier this year whining about getting kicked off the House Intelligence Committee.
The Democratic National Committee launched a TikTok account last year.
Politico reported that President Biden that same year was considering ways to communicate with young users on TikTok to garner support despite not being able to have an official account on the app because his administration determined it shouldn’t be used “for security reasons.”
Biden also enlisted TikTok creators to spread propaganda about Ukraine.
Biden in December signed legislation passed by Congress that banned TikTok from government devices.
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