Tiktok Might be Banned in the US: Here's What's Happening
Tiktok has seen a rise in popularity in the US since the pandemic in 2020. Now, the app has amassed about 100 million active users in America and has seen a 50% increase in the number of monthly users. The app also has created many influencers, who are building their platforms directly on the app and becoming the new generation of online personalities.
However, these past few weeks the government has been threatening to ban the infamous app in America in the future.
Photo: Jeremy Moeller via: Fashionista
Tiktok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The rocky political relationship between America and China is no secret and heavily affects the way the government views Tiktok currently. Many lawmakers, regardless of their political party, believe that the app poses a national security threat. They believe that it could allow China to sway US opinions or beliefs and gain access to data on American citizens. President Joe Biden has already banned the app from government devices this winter so this national Tiktok ban is a continuation of the government's goal of Tiktok not being in the US completely.
Additionally, the Justice Department and the FBI is currently investigating the app and its owners ByteDance for gathering data and spying on Americans. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S is investigating the concerns surrounding national security on the app.
Photo: Alessandroi Garofalo via: Time Magazine
The government has asked ByteDance to sell their stakes in the company or the social media app will be banned in the US. With the information given to consumers, it is hard to know whether there will be loopholes for consumers to use (such as Virtual Private Networks or VPNs) or ways around this potential ban.
Usually, it is hard for the average consumer to get around government bans. Douglas Schmidt, a professor of engineering told CNBC, “While there will likely always be cracks that can be exploited by a subset of computer literate users, the typical consumer would find it difficult to access a government banned service,” he said. “There will almost always be ways around this. It would just be a lot more difficult for the average person to do it without getting an advanced degree in computer security or something.”
Photo: Peter White via: The Wall Street Journal
At the moment, the government has lost trust in the app and is incredibly suspicious of what ByteDance is doing with the app. Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of Tiktok will testify before congress this Thursday, March 23rd to show them evidence of the data the app collects daily from its users. With the popularity of the app in the US, ByteDance and Chew are relying and hoping that their users will fight for the app and keep it around. Right now, many Tiktok users and creators are left with many questions unanswered and it is hard to know what the future holds for the app from here. If the app becomes banned in the US, it is up to the government to accurately communicate what is happening to users and potentially give them alternatives to the app that they will enjoy.
