trump heated on TikTok throughout the election year, promising to protect the beloved app. One of TikTok’s biggest investors, billionaire Jeff Yass, was also one of Trump’s top donors. He also used it to his advantage: Over the summer, Trump joined TikTok and amassed millions of followers and collaborations with popular streamers that played a big role in his campaign’s appeal to voters young people His many podcast appearances with the likes of Joe Rogan, the Nelk Boys, and Andrew Schultz were also cut and shared into bite-sized pieces throughout the app.
More than 170 million Americans use TikTok, according to the most recent figures shared by the company. Only 32 percent of Americans support a TikTok ban, according to a recent Pew survey. When a similar study was conducted in May 2023, 50 percent of Americans supported it.
Trump’s inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 20, the day after a deadline to give TikTok more time to find a buyer. I’d wager that Biden would decide to extend it, making the future of TikTok Trump’s problem, but the current president has given no sign of what he might do. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.
While Trump may have won over TikTok this cycle, Democrats don’t see the app as a lost cause. In fact, Democratic strategists I’ve spoken with have argued that a presence on the app is more necessary than ever.
“I am against the ban. Not only will it hurt us with younger voters, but it will also remove a channel where Democrats can compete to get their message out,” says Ryan Davis, co-founder and chief operating officer of People First , a political influence and relationship marketing firm that partnered with the Biden and Harris Campaigns. “Trump may have won TikTok in 2024, but it’s a channel where Democrats demographically should be very competitive.”
I really have no idea if TikTok will come out on top this week. When oral arguments were presented in September, the the judges didn’t sound too sold in the idea that the law was, well, illegal. Chances are, we’ll still be stuck in this limbo of not knowing if we’ll be able to scroll and see important, innovative content. like that.
The chat room
what do you think Is there still reason to believe that TikTok poses a threat to US national security? Even if that is true, is this bill the best way to protect US users from foreign surveillance? Personally, I’ve always thought the law was a mistake. If the Chinese government really wanted my data, they could easily buy it from some shady broker online.
Send your thoughts to mail@wired.com.
Cable readings
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What else are we reading?
🔗 Six hours under martial law in Seoul: Verge editor Sarah Jeong found herself in the middle of the story this week when she visited Seoul. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, he witnessed anti-martial law protests…incredibly wild. (the edge)
🔗 How the Supreme Court’s transgender care case could impact health care: The Supreme Court heard arguments United States v. Skrmetti Wednesday that could determine the future of trans health care in America. It could also have trickle-down effects on other health care issues like abortion rights. (Statistics)
🔗 Teacher Apologizes for Using Fake AI-Generated Quotes in Defense of Minnesota’s Unconstitutional Deepfake Law: Minnesota is about to adopt a new law banning deep fakes, and one of the state’s top witnesses was caught using the same tools to offer a defense of the rules. The hypocrisy is hilarious enough, but the chatbot also fully integrated some of the cited research. (Techdirt)
The Download
This week’s WIRED Politics Lab PodcastLeah spoke with WIRED’s Security and Investigations Editor Andrew Couts and Business Editor Louise Matsakis about how to protect yourself from government surveillance. There is a lot of useful advice, listen to it.
It was a great week for great interviews at WIRED! Take a look coverage from our event in San Francisco this week. And don’t miss Steven Levy’s killer interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook our YouTube channel here.
In addition, one thing our polarized nation can agree.
That’s it for today, thanks again for subscribing. You can contact me via e-mail, Instagram, Xand Signal to makenakelly.32.
