Recently, the world’s top streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins announced that he would delete his TikTok account and no longer use the popular video-sharing platform due to concerns related to user security and rights.
Sharing on his Twitter account with over 6 million followers, Ninja stated: “I have deleted the TikTok app from all my devices. I hope that a different company with less interference in user data and not owned by China can recreate this video-sharing concept. It is a great way for influencers to share their funny and unique content“.
If you didn’t know, Ninja was once the most-watched streamer on Twitch – the livestream platform owned by Amazon. However, in August 2019, this talented young man left everything to sign a new contract with Microsoft to operate on the Mixer platform.
On June 22, Microsoft unexpectedly shut down this platform and released Ninja from his contract. This forced him to reconsider his direction moving forward, which includes the option of returning to the “old land” of YouTube.
Returning to the main issue, Ninja’s boycott of TikTok is entirely justified, and he is not exaggerating when criticizing the app for interfering more deeply with user data than other social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Earlier this week, the U.S. government also announced that it is considering banning TikTok in the country, similar to what India has done before.
In an interview with Fox News on July 6, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo firmly stated that TikTok would be banned to prevent national security threats. He also warned the public to be cautious when downloading and using this app, as their data could potentially be collected and monitored by China.
Subsequently, U.S. President Donald Trump commented but was not very relevant: The action to ban TikTok in the U.S. is seen as a punishment for China due to the pandemic related to the Coronavirus.
On the other hand, TikTok has denied the allegations regarding user data collection. At the same time, this app is also trying to become more independent and different from the original version in China (Douyin).
A TikTok representative stated: “TikTok is led by an American CEO with hundreds of employees, and management always adheres to security rules, products, and public policies in this country. Our ultimate goal is to create a safe environment and experience for users. We have never and will never provide their data to the Chinese government, even if they request us to do so“.
Although not operating in China, TikTok is still considered the international version of Douyin – the app that is making waves in the world’s most populous country.
According to BusinessInsider