Leading Meta Executive Nick Clegg Slams TikTok As A Chinese Firm With Questionable Values Amid Calls For US Ban

One of Meta’s top executives is not shying away from speaking his mind about the entire TikTok fiasco and how strongly he feels about the matter.

Nick Clegg referred to the leading social media platform as one that is Chinese in origin and had a series of questionable values. And the news comes at a time when the demand for a complete ban of the app across the US continues.

Clegg who is leading the global affairs division for Meta also pointed toward the hypocrisy of a new kind that was taking place on the app and was flourishing at a fast pace than expected. This comes as various social media websites such as Facebook and Instagram are currently banned across the Communist nation.

He further explained how TikTok is a huge and very dynamic Chinese firm and can operate in the US but companies like Meta cannot services across China, during a recent interview with Bloomberg.

There is this major issue linked to a discrepancy of leveled playing fields, he continued. And toward the end, there is this mega issue regarding values. There’s a lot of underpinning for this type of technology.

TikTok is just a subsidiary of ByteDance but the way the firm’s executives continue to scramble to display its operations as an independent entity from others of the parent firm, not to mention interference from government officials in China, is a huge deal.

Today, TikTok is not found in China, while the government censors American-owned platforms like Twitter and Facebook too.

Cleggs’s comments arose at a time when we saw both Democrats and Republicans call for the app to be banned in America as issues arise regarding the nation’s security and the dangers linked to underage users getting exposed.

There was much discussion about the firm’s values and how so many advancements were coming forward in the world of AI and that led to concerns from regulators around the globe to take a stand before it’s too late.

China has been taking a very unique course and wishes to pursue different paths depending on its values. Today, there are so many issues regarding separate data privacy and they’re not too huge of a concern in China as they are across the US and other regions like Europe and the rest of North America.

So in conclusion, Clegg felt that it was time for more countries to come forward and make out a new roadmap that makes sure fledging technologies arise and end up matching values too.


Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard—AFP via Getty Images

Read next: UK’s Top Antitrust Regulator Blocks Microsoft’s Purchase Of Activision Blizzard
Previous Post Next Post