User explains TikTok ban debate by recreating Taylor Swift video

A TikTok user has taken it upon themselves to explain what the trouble is with the popular Chinese-owned social media app by making a parody music video of Taylor Swift’s song, ‘You Belong With Me’.

The United States, Canada, and the European Union are among the countries to issue a ban on government devices after citing privacy and cybersecurity concerns about the video-sharing app.

Alongside the bans on government devices, many countries have offered strong suggestions for civilians to do likewise, with some members of congress pushing for an outright TikTok ban in the United States.

A little bit of satire goes a long way

TikTok user Pommetato recreated Swift’s song ‘You Belong With Me’ to explain why countries are banning the China-based app, which also includes Meta begging for TikTok’s user base post ban.

Pommetaro sings a parody of Swift’s song to illustrate the competition among social media apps — and their link to the government.

In the music video, one character who represents Meta is trying to convince a TikTok user to give up the app and come back to Meta, which is now the parent company of Facebook. The song talks about conspiracy theories while showing the character acting as Meta defending herself.

The ‘You Belong With Me’ parody opens with lyrics familiar to the original song with the lines:, “You’re on your phone, it’s a typical Tuesday night / you’re scrolling him and I can’t help but have some spite / he doesn’t remind you of birthday like I do.”

The song then starts to get into the business of social media censorship.

“He’s got the FYP / But I gave you Reels / I leaked your data eight times / Don’t think that that’s a big deal,” the content creator sings, “dreaming ‘bout the day that you’ll wake up and find that what you’re looking for, I don’t have but it’s fine.”

“Can’t you see that TikTok uses your wifi / and your camera to steal data from your eyes / but not me / Please come back and use me,” croons the personified version of Meta, as a congressman comes and escorts Tik Tok away. Meta stands by someone’s front porch holding flowers, which she holds out to a person walking by – who then rejects her and she stands pouting.

What does TikTok have to say?

Bytedance, the company that owns TikTok, has asserted itself as a company independent of the CCP that is not under the arm of Beijing, disputing claims that it collects, holds, and tracks user data.

The company has long maintained that it does not hold or share any data with the government in China, and that it does not collect “more user data than other social media companies.”