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TikTok ban: An Act of Market Control, Not Freedom

  • Writer: Connor Banks
    Connor Banks
  • Jan 15
  • 4 min read

The Supreme Court of the United States met on Friday the 10th of January to discuss the imminent TikTok ban in the United States, and it's looking like the Supreme Court is going to uphold the ban. This means that TikTok will have to be sold off to an American company or be banned from America.


Facebook and Tiktok fighting each other. Felt design

The United States has long prided itself on being a champion of innovation and free-market competition. Yet, the recent push to ban TikTok exposes a different reality. While the ban is often framed as a measure to protect American "freedoms," closer scrutiny reveals that the motivations behind it are less about safeguarding national security or personal liberty and more about protecting the dominance of American tech giants who have failed to create a competing product.


The National Security Argument: A Convenient Scapegoat

The primary justification for the TikTok ban centres on national security concerns. Critics argue that TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese company poses risks of data misuse or surveillance by the Chinese government. While these concerns warrant investigation, the evidence presented so far has been largely speculative. Moreover, TikTok has taken significant steps to address these concerns, such as pledging to store U.S. user data domestically and offering unprecedented transparency in its operations.


In contrast, American tech companies, including Facebook and Google, have faced numerous scandals over data breaches and misuse, yet these incidents rarely spark discussions of bans. This double standard suggests that the TikTok ban isn’t truly about protecting users’ data but about something far more self-serving: market control.


A Failure to Innovate: American Companies’ Struggle to Compete

Tiktok logo in a 3d blog with a pink background

TikTok’s meteoric rise exposed a glaring weakness in American tech innovation. Despite their immense resources and influence, companies like Meta (formerly Facebook), Google, and Snapchat have failed to develop a platform that resonates with younger audiences in the same way TikTok does. Meta’s Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, both designed to mimic TikTok’s short-form video format, have not captured the same cultural zeitgeist or user engagement.


Rather than innovating, these companies have leaned heavily on their lobbying power to stifle competition. The push to ban TikTok can be seen as an attempt to remove a superior competitor from the market, allowing American platforms to reclaim dominance without addressing their own shortcomings. This approach not only stifles competition but also sets a dangerous precedent for using regulatory measures to quash innovative foreign products rather than improving domestic ones.


The Hypocrisy of “Freedom”

American lawmakers have framed the TikTok ban as a measure to protect citizens' freedoms, yet the ban itself directly contradicts the principles of choice and access that underpin those freedoms. TikTok’s success is driven by millions of Americans who have chosen to use the app, finding value in its unique algorithm, diverse content, and engaging user experience. Restricting access to the platform undermines these users’ autonomy, suggesting that their freedoms are secondary to corporate interests.


Furthermore, the United States’ tech landscape is already dominated by monopolies. Companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon control vast swaths of the internet, often using their market power to squash smaller competitors. The TikTok ban does not address this monopolistic behaviour; instead, it reinforces it by eliminating a rare instance of genuine competition in the social media space.


A Global Perspective: The Irony of “Protection”

The ban also highlights a broader irony. For years, American tech companies have championed global free markets, often entering foreign countries and out-competing local businesses. Yet when faced with competition from a foreign company on their own turf, the response has been to cry foul rather than adapt.


This hypocrisy weakens America’s global standing as a proponent of innovation and fair competition. Instead of banning TikTok, the United States could use this moment to examine why its own companies failed to create a comparable product and what can be done to foster domestic innovation.


The Real Solution: Compete, Don’t Constrain

If the goal is to protect American freedoms and ensure data security, a TikTok ban is a shortsighted solution. Instead, lawmakers should focus on regulating data privacy across all platforms, domestic and foreign, to ensure robust protections for users. Simultaneously, the tech industry should be incentivised to innovate rather than rely on protectionist policies.


TikTok’s popularity is a testament to its ability to connect with users in ways that American platforms have failed to replicate. Banning the app does not solve this problem; it simply papers over it. To truly champion freedom, the United States must allow competition to flourish, even when it means facing uncomfortable truths about its own shortcomings.



The push to ban TikTok is less about protecting American freedoms and more about protecting American monopolies. Framed as a national security issue, the campaign against TikTok is ultimately an admission that American tech giants have failed to keep up with their global counterparts. If the U.S. truly values innovation and freedom, it must resist the urge to eliminate competition through regulation and instead focus on fostering a market where the best product, not the most powerful company, wins.

Live Forever? Oasis might do just that!

Live Forever? Oasis might do just that!

15 May 2025

Mollie Waiton

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Stop crying your heart out, Oasis is reuniting! The moment fans have been dreaming of for 15 years, Liam and Noel Gallagher have put their differences aside to put on a show, touring the UK. 


Talk Tonight? Clearly, they finally did!


Concert crowd with raised hands silhouetted against bright stage lights. The atmosphere is energetic and lively, with a smoky background.


Oasis's rise to fame started in 1991, in Manchester. Liam Gallagher was the singer, and Noel the guitarist and songwriter. Their album Definitely Maybe, released in 1994, became the fastest-selling debut in UK history at the time. This was then followed by (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, released in 1995, which included Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger, and Champagne Supernova, all now iconic songs. Alongside Blur, they became the face of Britpop. Oasis are unique because they symbolised 1990s working-class pride and British spirit through both their personalities and their music. They famously played to over 250,000 fans over two nights at Knebworth in 1996. Oasis eventually split in 2009 in Paris after Noel said that he "simply could not go on working with Liam." Both brothers moved on to solo careers, throwing jabs at each other in interviews and on social media.


Once this iconic duo split, Noel Gallagher formed Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, which earned him successful solo albums. Liam Gallagher formed Beady Eye with other former Oasis bandmates and later released his own solo albums, As You Were and Why Me? Why Not. Liam often begged for Oasis to reunite, but Noel didn’t like the idea and said it was "not worth it." Both Gallagher brothers hinted at a reunion; for example, Liam aimed songs at Noel during live shows, and Noel hinted that "the door was never completely closed" in an interview in 2023.


When Oasis finally confirmed the reunion, the initial announcement included a world tour, starting with major UK cities. However, there are rumours that they could headline Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds. Noel and Liam are both involved, but Bonehead and Guigsy’s return hasn’t been confirmed. They have also hinted at making one or two new tracks to perform on the tour, but Noel has said that they want to "celebrate the old songs first." The main focus will be on Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. In their interviews, it is clear that there is still tension between the two, but they are putting their differences aside for the fans and, most likely, the money. So even though they say they’ve made peace, I say we shouldn’t put our lives in the hands of a rock ’n’ roll band just yet.


The Oasis reunion isn’t just another tour; it’s history, the revival of an era that shaped Britpop. Fans never thought they would see the day. However, I think we are all wondering: can the Gallagher brothers really stay civil? Maybe they will live forever… or at least long enough to play Wonderwall one more time.

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