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Why the U.S. Should Not Ban TikTok

The ban would hurt Americans—and there are better ways to protect their data.

By , a security technologist and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, and , a professor of computer science at USC.
Vanessa Pappas (C), chief operating officer for TikTok, listens during a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing regarding social media's impact on homeland security, on Sept. 14, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Vanessa Pappas (C), chief operating officer for TikTok, listens during a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing regarding social media's impact on homeland security, on Sept. 14, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Vanessa Pappas (C), chief operating officer for TikTok, listens during a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing regarding social media's impact on homeland security, on Sept. 14, 2022, in Washington, D.C. STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Congress is currently debating bills that would ban TikTok in the United States. We are here as technologists to tell you that this is a terrible idea and the side effects would be intolerable. Details matter. There are several ways Congress might ban TikTok, each with different efficacies and side effects. In the end, all the effective ones would destroy the free internet as we know it.

Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. His latest book is A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules, and How to Bend them Back.

Barath Raghavan is a professor of computer science at USC.

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