In August, the U.S. government announced its plan to ban popular social media platform TikTok if it was not sold to a U.S. company within 45 days. As the deal with Oracle went south for the firm, the Trump administration passed an executive order to ban TikTok from Sept. 20. The Trump administration maintained that the ban was intended to safeguard the privacy of U.S. citizens, as it claimed the app discloses confidential information to the Chinese government, thus putting U.S. Americans at risk.

The U.S. government’s decision to ban TikTok has challenged open internet access and connectedness in a digital world. President Trump’s decision raises questions about the concept of “net nationalism” — a strategy used by countries to govern the internet and filter content and flow of data as a means to protect cyber sovereignty. Some prominent examples of net nationalism include China filtering accessible internet content, the U.S. excluding Huawei from building 5G networks and Russia developing its own internet, popularly known as Runet.

With the U.S. banning TikTok, what does it mean for a country that prides itself on its values of liberty and freedom?

TikTok has been a source of entertainment amid the pandemic. It pioneered a new way of creating and consuming media. As people remain connected via TikTok, the ban will certainly suppress their rights to express themselves and make the company’s 1500 U.S. American employees fear possible layoffs. The treatment of Chinese apps by the U.S. government is belligerent. As per Harvard Business Review, the claim that the app is collecting confidential information and selling it to the Chinese government is disputable, as other U.S.-based tech companies also collect enormous amounts of user data and sell it to adware companies.

This year alone, U.S. tech companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon have faced lawsuits against data mishandling and privacy abuse of users. Google faced a 5 billion U.S. dollar lawsuit after it illegally invaded and tracked the privacy of many users despite their browsers being set on incognito mode.” Similarly, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon have also faced similar consequences after they unlawfully collected the biometric data of two Illinois residents without consent. Thus, the Trump administration’s decision to only ban TikTok and not take action against U.S. firms has further reinforced the growing belief that the U.S. might no longer be a supporter of global business. Another fear is that it may also be a potential threat to outside companies that compete with the U.S.-based ones.

Nevertheless, TikTok has tried all possible ways to avoid a ban — they have been storing U.S. data in the U.S. with a backup in Singapore, hired a U.S. American CEO and even launched a transparency center to moderate data practices in Los Angeles. This also shows that the ban against TikTok is less of a cybersecurity concern and rather more of censorship of social media platforms. With over 100 million monthly users, the ban has definitely suppressed many individuals to raise their voice against injustice on social media. As such, this ban also comes as an indirect warning to other social media platforms to properly curate the information they disseminate. This is especially true after President Trump allegedly tried to pass an executive order in May that gives the federal communications commission the ability to curate the information that appears on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.

The American Civil Liberties Union — more popularly known as ACLU — also expressed their concern stating President Trump’s decision to ban TikTok violates the First Amendment. “Selectively banning entire platforms like TikTok and WeChat violates the First Amendment and does little to protect our data from abuse,” they tweeted. They further added that the Trump administration should implement a comprehensive surveillance system and reform consumer privacy legislation instead of restricting U.S. Americans’ freedom of choice.

Moreover, the ban will also make existing TikTok users prone to cyber-attacks and data abuse. As the ban prohibits current users from getting security updates, their data is at more risk of getting compromised — a potential threat the Trump administration has failed to notice. It looks like the administration is less concerned about user data and privacy, and more inclined toward deliberately banning businesses from countries that it does not favor. The claim that TikTok is a national security concern might just be a deceiving strategy to oppress Chinese owned businesses and execute political agendas.

Ultimately, the internet is a space created to give everyone an equal chance to learn, share ideas and resources to build a global network. It is not a space that should be unnecessarily censored or manipulated for political agendas. By banning TikTok, rights to open access have been compromised. Open access to the internet and its resources should avail in every country regardless of political beliefs.