For Whom the Bell Scrolls

The clock is TikTocking. The Supreme Court has upheld the TikTok ban that technically gives the company just two days to sell the company. The ruling states: “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.” This saga has been going on for a long time. Trump was for the ban before he was against it. That whiplash view is not particularly unique. Opinions from political officials on this topic have shifted almost as fast as political opinions shift on TikTok and other social media platforms. In the early days of TikTok, a couple of friends of mine (one from the Pentagon and one from intelligence) advised against allowing my kids to use the service for the very reasons that ultimately led to today’s ban. There is a clear danger of enabling an adversarial government like China to collect our data and use a massively popular platform to influence American public opinion. This a significant issue. I’m just not sure if your data is any safer or your opinions are any less likely to be nefariously manipulated by platforms owned by Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, or Donald Trump.
I don’t see TikTok actually shutting down this weekend. There are too many users too many businesses and too many competing tech giants with a stake in this. But it’s 2025, so all we know for sure is that the TikTok story will end in the worst way possible, for users, for America, and for people who have never even used the service. You know for whom the bell scrolls, it scrolls for thee.

+ Vox: The Supreme Court’s decision upholding the TikTok ban, explained.

+ No one who gets ahold of your data should be trusted with your data. GM can’t sell your location data for the next 5 years.