If you are against misinformation and hate speech, you know, you've got to be against it on all platforms and not just on TikTok.

There are No Girls on the Internet as a production of IHeart Radio and Unbossed Creative.

I'm Bridget Todd, and this is There Are No Girls on the Internet.

This week, President Biden said that he would sign legislation into law banning TikTok if Congress

passes it. This comes after legislation that would force TikTok,

which is owned by the Chinese company Bight Dance right now,

to sell to an American owner, passed a big vote last week.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to pass the bill,

meaning TikTok is one step closer to being essentially banned in the United States.

Last year, after TikTok CEO Shōzi Chu went before a congressional hearing to defend the platform,

popular TikToker and misinformation researcher, Abby Richards and I,

discussed what a band would mean for marginalized communities.

With the platform being one step closer to being banned in the U.S., it is really important to understand what this means

for our media landscape and for marginalized people.

Now, y'all know I love TikTok, but I also know that like any other social media app, it is not

without its issues. TikTok disinformation researcher and friend of the show, Abby Richards, was one of

the first people calling out TikTok

for the way that myths and disinformation and hate speech spreads on the app. But for all of her

criticisms of TikTok, Abby still says that banning the platform is not the right move. In a recent

op-ed for Newsweek that you can read in the show notes, Abby explained why she thinks banning TikTok will ultimately hurt marginalized communities. I caught up with Abby right after we both watched

the hearing. Abby Richards, friend of the show, how are you? I am angry, Bridget. I am an infuriated girl right now.

As someone who has really built a lot of your career, not just on TikTok, but like calling out TikTok for the ways that it can spread misinformation and hate speech, what has it been like to watch elected officials talk about banning it?

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