A recent poll suggests that about half of the country is in support of a nationwide ban of Tik Tok.  But according to this study, New Yorkers don't agree.

What is Tik Tok?

Tik Tok is a social media type of app where people can post and view short videos.  It's meant as an app to let people express themselves.  Whether that's through singing, dancing, or comedy.  Sometimes it's just a way for people to connect with others on the way they think or instances of everyday life.

The videos as short and easily consumed by scrolling through a feed.

Read More:  One Of Tik Tok's Biggest Stars Is From Buffalo

Why would they ban Tik Tok?

It's been a bit of a sensitive subject for people who enjoy the app.  Why would they need to ban an app that seems so innocent on the surface?

The concern is that the app is a Chinese-owned company and that they're taking our information to use against us.  When you sign up to use the app, you give that company the right to a lot of information in the initial agreement.

Read More:  Will New York Be The Next State To Ban Tik Tok?

Because of these concerns, on April 24th, President Biden signed the “Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024” into law.  Now, if the parent company that currently owns the app doesn't sell to a company in a country that the US deems as a "foreign adversary" within 9 months, they will outlaw its use in the United States.

If it's dangerous then why would anyone be against them banning the app?

One of the biggest reasons people are against a ban is that they don't believe that it actually is dangerous.  They aren't worried about where their personal data is going because quite frankly, they have a million apps that they use and they don't know where any of that data is going either.

Also, they enjoy using it.  It's a good way to pass time and to kind of zone out for a little while.

They also believe that it's a violation of First Amendment rights.

Who is the most against the ban?

A company called Casino Alpha looked into the online activity of people across the country to see which states were for the ban and which ones were against it the most.  They looked at the posts that were positive toward the ban and those that were negative towards it.  Then they took into consideration the population of the state and found a number that showed the amount of positive or negative posts per 100,000 people.  By that metric, New York easily came out on the top of the list of states that were the most against the ban.

RankStatePositive PostsNegative PostsPopulationPos. Posts per 100,000Neg. Posts per 100,000
1New York781,22228,041,76019,571,2163,992143,281
2Georgia177,7648,857,41711,029,2271,61280,309
3California1,691,32229,548,60938,965,1934,34175,833
4South Carolina126,3843,359,3035,373,5552,35262,515
5Nevada362,2101,341,6533,194,17611,34042,003
6Florida404,1288,665,40122,610,7261,78738,324
7Michigan77,8353,633,91910,037,26177536,204
8Oregon52,3251,296,8984,233,3581,23630,635
9Pennsylvania144,4783,334,79312,961,6831,11525,728
10Texas523,6717,638,21430,503,3011,71725,041

 

How do you feel about it?  Are you for the ban or against it?

65 Obnoxious Banned License Plates In New York State

Here are some of the crude, hilarious, and off-the-wall personalized license plates that were denied in New York state in 2022.

Gallery Credit: Megan Carter/Canva

13 Words That Should Be Banned In Buffalo, New York

We asked, you answered...after Merriam-Webster announced their 2022 Word Of The Year as "gaslighting," we wanted to know if there were any words that you believed should be banned in Buffalo, New York, and well...there's a few.

Gallery Credit: Kadie Daye via Canva Image

The 10 Best High Schools In Western New York

According to U.S. News & World Report, here is the ranking of the top 10 high schools in the Buffalo, New York area.

Gallery Credit: Canva

More From 106.5 WYRK