(TheConservativeNews.org) – The video streaming app TikTok has exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. Users love the engaging interface, and many content creators have shot to stardom on the app. Much of the content you’ll see on the app is simple and inoffensive in nature; think dance videos and cooking tutorials. However, its harmless appearance obscures a dark and complicated political controversy.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a group with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These links prompted former President Donald Trump to mount several attempts at banning the app in America over national security concerns. The platform is still operational here, but concerns about its connection to the CCP persist.
Banning of “Cuba Libre” Content
On Tuesday, July 14, a number of social media users complained that TikTok was banning videos showing Cuban citizens protesting against their dictatorial communist government. The footage in question depicted swarms of protesters waving Cuban flags and, in some cases, struggling with police. There are several images of protesters with bloodied faces and other injuries.
This was apparently unacceptable as far as TikTok’s moderators were concerned; users alleged their videos were removed a number of times. One account holder resorted to posting the footage on Twitter because TikTok would not accept it.
This story is now causing disquiet in Washington, DC. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) shared the tweet below highlighting TikTok’s efforts to censor this content.
What’s Happening in Cuba?
These protests have been ongoing for several days now, with Cubans dissatisfied over shortages of food and medicine and the government’s inability to properly tackle the pandemic.
Despite the fact that the country has lived under an oppressive Communist regime since the late 1950s, protests against the government are relatively rare in Cuba. The fact that citizens have resorted to this type of unrest shows that circumstances must be truly dire on the island. Even America’s socialists are speaking out. On Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appealed to the Cuban government to allow peaceful protesting.
TikTok is a major social media platform in the United States right now, and the CCP appears to be able to dictate what appears on it, at least to some extent. This is yet another example of a tech company policing what Americans can and cannot see, and our leaders need to address this threat.
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