Time is Tik-ing

TikTok may be running out of time. Amid growing concerns about privacy, censorship, and hacking sabotage, TikTok execs have abruptly cancelled meetings with US senators. The app—whose audience basically consists of your tween cousins and their “squads”—is known for beloved (and completely insane) videos like Kombucha Girl and Banana Giving Birth.

But it’s also known, increasingly, for its close ties to China—which worries lawmakers. ICYMI, TikTok has been called out for illegally collecting the information of children under the age of 13, as well as removing “anti-China” videos and perhaps footage of Hong Kong protests. So is TikTok a private company that shouldn’t owe the government any answers? Or is it a public-facing service—like radio and TV stations—that needs to be monitored?