The freakout over TikTok is a moral panic—but it’s not just that

Plus: Entertainment creep, 'the wonder rug,' and more

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1. the rest of the first item

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1. A take I haven’t written elsewhere

The freakout over TikTok is a moral panic—but it’s not just that

(via)

Texas became the latest state to ban TikTok on state-issued devices this week. Texan Gov. Greg Abbott (R) tweeted an announcement of the plan, which has been in the works since December, and cast it as a matter of security and ideology alike:

Greg Abbott @GregAbbott_TX

Announcing today a statewide plan to ban TikTok. Texans, especially our state agencies and employees, must be protected from having sensitive information shared with the Chinese Communist Party. We cannot ignore this security threat. More:

bit.lyGovernor Abbott Announces Statewide Plan Banning Use Of TikTok

Similar bans are already in place in Alabama, Maryland, Ohio, South Dakota, and Utah, as well as for federal employee devices, and Texas is unlikely to be the last government entity to take this route. It’s an obvious choice for Republican governors as the GOP increasingly seems inclined to recenter its foreign policy on conflict with China, and the practical rationale is strong. The security debate aside—and I think there’s good reason to be skeptical of allegations of Beijing’s involvement here—why would most government employees need entertainment apps on their work phones?

So, beyond my impatience with Abbott’s “statewide” language, which misleadingly suggests a far more expansive prohibition, the basic idea here seems fine. The same cannot be said of other ideas for TikTok bans. Too many amount to something something communist brainwashing spies and do nothing to grapple with the constraints of the First Amendment (and other laws on the books).