If you’d heard of former Google designer Sarah Cooper at the start of 2020, it was probably because you were familiar with an old mega-viral post she wrote, titled 10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings.
Cooper had quit her job to pursue a full-time career in online comedy, and was ticking along with YouTube subscriber numbers in the low six figures. Then, this year, she discovered two things. The first was TikTok, and the second was a style of parodying Donald Trump by miming his words.
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The legality of Trump’s order is questionable, but among the US political elite it has become a given that TikTok must be part of some kind of Chinese soft power or intelligence operation. Rumours swirl about its capabilities to harvest data, with Amazon briefly banning employees from using TikTok before hastily U-turning less than 24 hours later. Even retired MI6 bosses have been warning against the app.
Unlike most of Trump’s attempts to exert his executive authority, his crackdown on TikTok has received a muted response, with many politicians on both sides of the Atlantic agreeing that, because of its Chinese connections, the app may indeed pose a security risk – and perhaps should be banned.
To continue reading this report in The Observer, go to:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/16/trump-tiktok-ban-china-satire-sarah-cooper