Poll: Most Americans see the TikTok network as a tool of influence from China

2024-05-01 21:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Most Americans believe China uses the TikTok network to influence public opinion in the United States, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey came as Washington steps up efforts to crack down on the Chinese-owned social network.

About 58% of respondents in the two-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, agreed with the statement that the Chinese government uses the TikTok network, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, to "influence American public opinion." About 13% disagreed, and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question.

Republican supporters were more likely than Democrats to see the TikTok app as a tool of the Chinese government to influence American public opinion.

The TikTok network says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security and will not share the data of 170 million American users with the Chinese government.

Last year, TikTok executives told the US Congress that they "do not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government". The TikTok network did not respond to a request for comment.

President Joe Biden signed a law last week that gives ByteDance 270 days to sell the network's US branch or face a shutdown.

The leaders of the TikTok network have vowed to challenge the ban as a violation of the protection of free expression provided for in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Also, users of the TikTok network are expected to take legal action.

In November, a judge in the state of Montana suspended a ban on the TikTok network in that state, citing concerns about freedom of expression.

The poll by Reuters/Ipsos found that 50% of Americans support a ban on the TikTok network, while 32% oppose the ban, and that the rest were unsure.

The survey does not reflect the views of the under-18 age group, which make up the largest portion of TikTok users in the United States. About six in 10 respondents aged 40 and over support the ban, compared to about four in 10 respondents aged 18-39.

The poll shows 46% of Americans agree with a statement that China is using the app to "spy on Americans' daily lives," a claim Beijing has denied.

The TikTok network is widely used in the United States. Leaders of President Biden's re-election campaign are using it as a tool to woo voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

President Biden's rival, Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized a possible ban and is the principal owner of the company that operates his social media app Truth Social, does not have an account on the TikTok network.

A majority of Americans, 60%, said it is inappropriate for US candidates to use the TikTok network to promote their campaigns.

The law signed by President Biden sets January 19 as the last day to sell the branch covering America, one day before the end of his term. But he could extend the deadline by three months if he determines that ByteDance is making progress in selling the US subsidiary.

1,022 American adults nationwide participated in the online survey. The possibility of error is calculated to be about 3 percent./ Voa