Elon Musk has explained why he opposes the US banning of TikTok, despite the potential “benefit” to his own platform, X (formerly Twitter).
TikTok may be banned in the US after lawmakers in the US House of Representatives began fast-tracking legislation.
If passed, the popular social media platform’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, will be required to sell TikTok to a buyer deemed fit by US officials within 9 months, with a possible three-month extension. Otherwise, the government may demand the removal of TikTok from US app stores.
However, now Elon Musk is chiming in and sharing why he is opposed to the US House of Representatives’ plan to ban the platform.
In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the 𝕏 platform. Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2024
According to Musk, the ban should not go through “even though such a ban may benefit the X platform”.
Musk became the largest shareholder of X (formerly Twitter) in April 2022, ultimately initiating an acquisition of the American social media company that concluded on October 28 of the same year.
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He has since maintained the importance of preserving free speech on the platform, which is the same reason he hopes the US decides against a TikTok ban.
“Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression,” Musk tweeted. “It is not what America stands for.”
And other users of the platform evidently agreed, with one person writing, “The law they use to ban TikTok could later be used to ban Telegram. And then from there, they’ll move on to US platforms.”
However, not everyone was on the same page; “The major issue with TikTok is the app can be used to obtain private information about you. It has nothing to do with free speech. It’s national security.”