Is TikTok on the Chopping Block? What You Need to Know

Unpacking the imminent threat of a ban

TikTok Ban in U.S.Photo bysalarko / Adobe Stock

People who don’t use it might be shocked to know how influential TikTok has become in the social media pantheon. If you do use TikTok, chances aregood that you’ve learned about the banning on the app itself. A third of Americans between the agesof 18 and 29 “regularly” get their news from TikTok.

On April 24, 2024, the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 was signed into law by President Biden.The law directs that ByteDance, the Chinese parent company that owns TikTok, must “sell the app’s US operations” within 270 days. If they don’t, a nationwide ban on TikTok in America may go into effect, and app stores and web hosts will be blocked from distributing TikTok.

Why has TikTok become such a hot political issue?

The U.S. government is not known for its quick embrace of technologyor even for its politicians being able to understand many of its recent advances.

In this case, however, both the legislative and the executive branches seem highly motivated to force a change in TikTok ownership.Proponents of this bill and members of the national security community say this is for several reasons.The largest among them, however, concerns information security and the fear that the Chinese government could access the personal information of the app’s users.

Before passing the bill, legislators received what some referred to as a “shocking” briefing on the app. Intelligence officers told lawmakers thatByteDance (and the Chinese government, by extension), could “spy on the microphone on users’ devices, track keystrokes and determine what the users are doing on other apps.”

However, some legislators did note that such permissions and features are common in social media apps in particular.

The Chinese government does own a 1% stake in ByteDance and also “controls one of three board members” in the company.

Officials in the Chinese government have said China has “never and will not ask companies” for such user information or data.Those who worry about Communist control over Chinese companies and business activities, however,also point out that China’s 2017 National IntelligenceLaw quite clearly states that organizations “must assist or cooperate” with Chinese state intelligence work.

The new legislation stipulating that TikTok must be sold has kicked off a firestorm of controversy.

Banning TikTok in some way, though, has been a political objective for many years.Back in 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed executive orders stipulating that TikTok and WeChat should be banned unless their Chinese parent companies sold them. (Those orders were later successfully blocked in federal courts.)

Two years later. In December of 2022, a law was passed that banned the use of TikTok on all government devices.

How is TikTok responding to this new law?

TikTok and ByteDance are moving swiftly to try and counter the law that’s been passed.

ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew has taken his case directly to TikTok users. In a TikTok video that’s been viewed millions of times, he’s urged viewers to “make no mistake — this is a ban on TikTok.”He also questioned the constitutionality of the bill, because such a ban doesn’t allow for the freedom of speech protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Based on that argument, ByteDance has filed a lawsuit against the United States government.In addition to calling the law blatantly unconstitutional,the company has also explained the impossibility of separating TikTok the app from ByteDance the company. “Millions of lines of code would have to shift hands,” and without access to ByteDance’s algorithm, the company alleges, the app will no longer be operational.

TikTok users and influencers say the ban is a bad idea

TikTok users and influencers, as well as free-speech advocates, have already been vocal in their opposition to this ban.

More than 170 million Americans now use TikTok.Many of them use it for entertainment, news, and education, whilemany others use the platform as a way to earn a living.Its fans also note thatit positively influenced the social media online space when it debuted in 2016, forcing Meta, YouTube, and others to offer users platforms that offer more video and channels for communication.

TikTok influencers have said that the effects of the bill would be “devastating,” and many had started to protest the bill even before it passed.Many have said the app allows a space for the marginalized to be heard and to become popular influencers.

Fornow, the new law stipulates that ByteDance must sell its ownership stake in TikTok by the deadline date of January 19, 2025. Want to learn more? There are numerous TikTok videos to view on the subject. In case ByteDance’s lawsuit to fight the ban doesn’t win, you may want to watch those before they become unavailable in America.