Taylor Lorenz: TikTok Ban Could Have ‘Devastating Effects on Free Speech and Civil Liberties’

EXCERPT:

LORENZ: “I mean, this ban could have devastating effects on free speech and civil liberties, and it would absolutely impact journalists’ ability to reach people. We saw Elon Musk taking over Twitter, banning tons of journalists, forcing us all off the platform. Tons of people get their news from TikTok now. Myself and other journalists have hundreds of thousands of followers on there. We use it to communicate directly with the public. Also, it’s where people go to make news and break news. I always say, when you see something on the side of the highway, or you see something crazy, often people’s first instinct these days is not to tweet about it. It’s to post a TikTok video. Major news stories have broken. Obviously, tons of people, millions of people have been following the war happening right now in Israel and Gaza. So, it is a primary news source for people and it’s very terrifying to see that ripped out. This could affect 170 million users in the U.S. alone.”