Page 25 - TalkTalk

It has rallied users to its cause, pinging some last
week to contact Congress. That only emphasised
its potential political clout; some wavering
representatives reportedly flipped against TikTok

after their switchboards blew up.
The best outcome is one in which TikTok survives.
It provides competition and innovation, as well
as fun. The bill before Congress allows ByteDance
to sell up, rather than simply shut down. If it is
unwilling to do so—or if China does not let it—
ByteDance could float TikTok as a public
company. Americans and others benefit from
freedom of choice. But it is time the same
standards were applied to new media as old. That
requires separating a platform as large and
influential as TikTok from the sway of a country
as manipulative and ideological as China.

Useful Vocabulary

6. Hoovers up: Collects or gathers in large quantities
(informal)
7. Lax: Lacking in strictness or rigor
8. Crackdown: Intensive effort to stop illegal or
undesirable behaviour
9. Injected: Introduced or inserted
10. Skew: Bias or distort
11. Clout: Influence or power, especially in political or
economic contexts
12. Wavering: Hesitating or fluctuating in opinion or
allegiance
13. Flipped: Changed sides or positions
14. Switchboards: Telephone exchanges or systems
15. Blew up: Became overwhelmed or overloaded
16. Sway: Controlling influence or authority
17. Manipulative: Skilled at controlling or influencing
others in an unethical or devious manner
18. Vigilance: Watchfulness or alertness
19. Aggregate: Formed by combining several elements into
a whole
20. Undermined: Weakened or diminished the authority or
strength of
21. Rallied: Called on or summoned for support
22. Pinging: Sending a brief signal or message
23. Outlawing: Making illegal or prohibiting by law
24. Rivals: Competitors or adversaries
25. Overblown: Exaggerated or inflated