TikTok Teens Are 'Going to War' Against the Trump Campaign After Republicans Call to Ban the App

[Nevilledog]

https://time.com/5865261/tiktok-trump-campaign-app/?fbclid=IwAR1aPAU4HFZ4SihVpPsFymu9H6sOmcajhxpDQrvKlNZC-OltjDhSAPkXr5w

The TikTok-tivists are at it again.

Thousands of users of the popular video app flocked to the Apple App Store in the last few days to flood U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign app with negative reviews. On Wednesday alone 700 negative reviews were left on the Official Trump 2020 app and 26 positive ones, according to tracking firm Sensor Tower.

TikTok fans are retaliating for Trump’s threats of banning the app, which is owned by China’s Bytedance Ltd. and is hugely popular in the U.S., especially among teens. The thought of taking away a key social and entertainment hub in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to outrage.

“For Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok is our clubhouse and Trump threatened it,” said Yori Blacc, a 19-year-old TikTok user in California who joined in the app protest. “If you’re going to mess with us, we will mess with you.”

Blacc said the movement gained steam Wednesday when a popular TikTok user, DeJuan Booker, called on his 750,000 followers to seek revenge. He posted a step-by-step primer on how to degrade the app’s rating, notching 5.6 million views. “Gen Z don’t go down without a fight,” said Booker, who goes by @unusualbeing on TikTok. “Let’s go to war.”

*snip*

[soothsayer]

1. To be fair, they're likely being spied on with that app

But I love what they do to him!

[Nevilledog]

4. I know. That app is a nightmare from what I've read.

[matt819]

5. Probably true

According to a quick search, TikTok has some 800 million registered users. Even if only a small portion of those post regularly, that's still potentially hundreds of millions of people posting. Which comes to billions (trillions?) of posts. Spy away, China. You'll have a good handle on what teenagers are doing around the world. Have at it. Also, I gather there are users who generate income from these posts, I guess in the same way influencers earn money on instagram, youtube, etc. Start screwing with their income, and there's bound to be a backlash for that as well.

I just don't see the security threat from China to these demographics. Identity theft? Maybe, but that's a potential threat from any social platform.

[soothsayer]

7. Not recommended for protesters against China or armies fighting China

[ace3csusm]

6. Spied on like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Home cable internet providers, Cell phones

they are all gather data to sell ...

[soothsayer]

8. More sinister when turned against, say, Hong Kong

[Me.]

2. You Could See That Writing Itself

when the threat was posted

[sunonmars]

10. Going to war with the tech kids is going to be a disaster for them.

[Thomas Hurt]

3. This is what needs to happen,

to push back on the christofascists' selective populism propaganda campaign.

[Alliepoo]

9. Lordy! I just love our teenagers!!!

They are something else! Intelligent, informed, involved and willing to fight!! Makes me happy!