Americans View TikTok As Tool For Chinese Influence: Reuters Poll

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in early May 2024 revealed that a majority of Americans believe TikTok, a popular short-video app owned by China's ByteDance, is used by the Chinese government to influence public opinion in the United States, Jason Lange and David Shepardson reported for Reuters.

TikTok asserts that it has invested over $1.5 billion in data security efforts and has not shared data on its 170 million US users with the Chinese government. I Photo: TikTok

According to the poll, 58% of respondents agreed with this statement, while 13% disagreed, and the remaining were unsure or did not respond. The survey found that Republicans were more likely than Democrats to perceive TikTok as a tool for Chinese influence.

TikTok has refuted these claims, asserting that it has invested over $1.5 billion in data security efforts and has not shared data on its 170 million US users with the Chinese government.

The company stated to Congress last year that it does not manipulate content at the request of the Chinese government.

However, President Joe Biden recently signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's US assets or face a ban. TikTok has vowed to challenge the ban, citing concerns about free expression protected by the US Constitution.