U.S. President Joe Biden’s campaign officially joined TikTok last month, drawing ire from critics across the political spectrum. On Feb. 11, Biden became one of the more than 1 billion users of TikTok, with the account “@bidenhq” operated by his campaign. Pointing to the app’s connections to China, Republicans demanded the president delete the account altogether. Senator Marco Rubio and colleagues sent a letter to Biden, calling on the president to delete the TikTok account and “publicly acknowledge the national security threat posed by TikTok,” which Biden’s campaign has simply shrugged off. Since the 2020 election cycle, TikTok’s popularity in the U.S. has skyrocketed with over 170 million users nationwide, more than half of the country’s population. It’s also the main source of news and information for members of Gen Z, a key voting bloc for the president. Even in the face of negative publicity, TikTok has seen an explosive growth in the number of young users. There are reasons for TikTok’s ability to thrive. For one thing, TikTok’s app experience and algorithm are unmatched by other American social media platforms, making it difficult for American politicians to ban it. TikTok also refuses to take sides in American politics. It banned political ads before the 2022 midterm elections and restricted the fundraising functions of political accounts. It does not intervene in politics and remains neutral. TikTok has always complied with U.S. federal and state regulations. Biden’s presence on TikTok reveals the hypocrisy of American politicians and exposes their lie that the app poses a security threat to the country. (Global Times) | 