Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Ashton Kutcher Warns China Could Use TikTok to Push ‘Anti-US Propaganda,’ Influence Young Americans

Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Share Tweet
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

July 9, 2021

Hollywood star and humanitarian Ashton Kutcher is warning the Chinese government could use the video-sharing app TikTok to push “anti-U.S. propaganda” in order to influence young and easily swayed Americans.

The “Cheaper by the Dozen” actor told investor Joe Lonsdale he fears the country’s communist regime could use the platform to promote an “anti-Taiwanese propaganda effort” and suggested China may, by way of TikTok, “create a problem” in the South China Sea.

Kutcher, who first gained notoriety for his role in “That ’70s Show,” admitted that, while most Americans likely believe “media manipulation” is happening, they’re under the errant impression that it’s not occurring “through their sources.”

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

“I think that’s wrong,” the celebrity said. “[I] think we’re about to face a reckoning in that particular domain, and it’s going to probably change what social media looks like in the future. My sense is that what social media is today is not what social media is going to be in five years.”

“If the trend line continues on the path that it’s on today,” Kutcher added, “my kids will not be on social media. If the trend line pivots, as I think it likely will, there’s a chance that I will allow them to use it.”

What else did he say?

Regarding TikTok, the 43-year-old actor said there’s a “massive regulatory battle on the horizon.”

“If I’m China, and I want to create a problem in that area of the world — specifically a naval problem in the South China Sea — I would probably want to utilize TikTok in order to influence the minds of Americans,” Kutcher explained.

The well-known entertainer echoed an opinion shared by former President Donald Trump, who, in August of last year, issued an order to ban the Chinese-owned app from operating in the United States.

President Joe Biden, however, rescinded the order when he took office.

By the way…

Without much fanfare or media attention, TikTok updated its privacy policy in early June, allowing itself to begin collecting biometric data from U.S.-based users, including their face prints and voice prints.

“We may collect information about the images and audio that are a part of your user content, such as identifying the objects and scenery that appear, the existence and location within an image of face and body features and attributes, the nature of the audio, and the text of the words spoken in your user content,” states the revised policy. “We may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information as defined under U.S. laws, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from your user content. Where required by law, we will seek any required permissions from you prior to any such collection.”

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

There are only a small handful of states — Illinois, Washington, New York, Texas, and California — with laws protecting residents’ biometric data, according to TechCrunch.

As for TikTok, the app claimed it needs to collect said data “to enable special video effects, for content moderation, for demographic classification, for content and ad recommendations, and for other non-personally identifiying operations.”

Latest

  • Faith

    Should Public School Teachers Lead Prayer in Jesus’ Name? Americans Make Their Stance Clear

  • Faith

    ‘God’s Definitely Real’: Cross Necklace Saves Man’s Life After He Was Shot in the Chest

  • Faith

    ‘Dangerous Ideology’: Christian Summer Camp Takes Gender Stand, Scores Major Victory

  • culture

    BBC Reporter Earns Viral Praise For Abruptly Pausing On-Air to Correct Term ‘Pregnant People’

  • News

    Pastor’s Wife Deported: Family Speaks Out, Pleads for Mercy as Homeland Security Issues Statement


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

  • Should Public School Teachers Lead Prayer in Jesus’ Name? Americans Make Their Stance Clear
  • ‘God’s Definitely Real’: Cross Necklace Saves Man’s Life After He Was Shot in the Chest
  • ‘Dangerous Ideology’: Christian Summer Camp Takes Gender Stand, Scores Major Victory
  • BBC Reporter Earns Viral Praise For Abruptly Pausing On-Air to Correct Term ‘Pregnant People’
  • Pastor’s Wife Deported: Family Speaks Out, Pleads for Mercy as Homeland Security Issues Statement

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.