Data, Power, and the Erosion of Democracy

— January 19, 2025 —

How can we trust that our laws and rights will be upheld if they can be manipulated by one individual for political gain?

If a president-elect, a private citizen, can intervene to prevent a law like the TikTok ban from being enforced, it undermines the checks and balances that protect our democracy.

TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, operates its U.S. branch separately, with American oversight on its board. The vast majority of TikTok’s data and user information is stored in the U.S. under the oversight of American-based servers at Oracle, a multinational tech company.

The algorithm that powers TikTok, the one that determines what you see on your feed, is proprietary to TikTok, not Beijing.

The same algorithm was responsible for generating $24 billion in U.S. Gross Domestic Product last year from small and medium-sized American businesses operating on the platform. ByteDance itself cleared profits over $16 billion.

Concerns about Chinese profit and influence focus on potential privacy risks and conflicts with U.S. interests. When compared to U.S. platforms like Facebook or X, the alarm about TikTok seems misplaced.

Meta (Facebook), Uber, DoorDash, and countless other apps collect vast amounts of personal data, from browsing history to purchasing habits, and sell it to advertisers, corporations, and governments. Meta, in particular, collects the most comprehensive behavioral data of any platform, shaping decisions and behavior with little transparency.

The concern over data mining goes beyond one app or one country. It’s about a global system where our personal lives are constantly monitored, sold, and manipulated by corporations with no transparency or accountability.

Business owners and individuals alike are at the mercy of platforms that take away their agency the moment they choose to engage.

Beyond the continuing debate over the unethical practices of any social media platform, the president-elect’s apparent move to sidestep the TikTok ban law raises serious concerns about Executive overreach.

Presidents can direct agencies on how to enforce laws but they cannot unilaterally suspend or nullify laws, especially those upheld by the Supreme Court, through an Executive Order.

Allowing such behavior risks dismantling the very foundation of our democracy.

If the TikTok ban is to be reversed, it must happen through proper channels: committee actions, hearings, and potential legislation subject to judicial review or an Executive veto. Bypassing this process not only undermines the rule of law, it also sets a dangerous precedent where laws can be ignored at will.

We need Montana’s delegation in D.C. to stand firm in upholding checks and balances. Our government must work for us, not for tech companies in private backroom deals.

Political games like this threaten the fabric of our democracy.

It’s up to all of us to demand accountability from our elected officials. Together, we can ensure that power remains in the hands of the people, not in unchecked executive actions.