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https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-boom-review-independent-lens-pbs-tiktok-douyin-bytedance-shalini-kantayya-deja-foxx-feroza-aziz-11666302770
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One of the ironies in “TikTok, Boom,” a scathing look at the Chinese-owned social-media platform, is the fear that TikTok inspires in authoritarian leaders while doing precisely what they’d like to do—disseminate misinformation and stifle dissent. Another is the fact that the people who most need to see this “Independent Lens” presentation on PBS probably don’t watch TV. They’re more likely on TikTok.
A short-form-video hosting service owned by the Beijing-based ByteDance, TikTok is the “first Chinese app to threaten the supremacy of Silicon Valley,” we are told, which is probably why Meta’s
Mark Zuckerberg unsuccessfully tried to buy it before attacking it. When TikTok pranksters used the platform to sabotage a Tulsa rally by Donald Trump in 2020—gobbling up seats with no intention of attending—Mr. Trump began a campaign to outlaw TikTok in the U.S. The effort died out with the Trump administration but, motivations aside, this documentary doesn’t suggest that the proposed ban was such a bad idea.
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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.