TikTok lovers! I’ve got some good news for you. Even though President Joe Biden signed a potential ban into law this week, you’ll still be able to scroll through your favorite dance challenges and lip-sync videos for at least the next nine months, and probably even longer!
The new law says that ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, has to sell the app to a U.S.-approved buyer within nine months. But get this: Biden can actually extend that deadline by another 90 days if a sale is already in the works. And if you ask TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, he’s not going down without a fight. He’s already talking about taking legal action and says TikTok isn’t going anywhere.
“We are confident, and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts,” he said. “The facts and the Constitution are on our side, and we expect them to prevail again.
This whole TikTok ban thing has been a hot topic for a while. House Republicans managed to sneak the bill into a bigger package that deals with foreign aid for countries like Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. And even before that, lawmakers from both parties have been trying to rein in the app since it blew up in 2020. Senators Marco Rubio (a Republican from Florida) and Mark Warner (a Democrat from Virginia) have both tried to ban TikTok, but none of their attempts had enough support to make it through Congress.
Of course, not everyone’s on board with the ban. Some people, like Democratic Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts, say it’s a form of censorship that could stop TikTok users from getting news, doing business, and chatting with each other online. And Republican Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky even wrote an op-ed calling the ban a violation of the First Amendment and government overreach.
He warned, “If the damage to one company weren’t enough, there is a very real danger that this ham-fisted assault on TikTok may actually give the government the power to force the sale of other companies.
As for President Biden, he’s had his doubts about TikTok in the past. He even signed a law in late 2022 that banned the app from government devices. But get this—his campaign actually joined TikTok in February! Don’t worry, though; Biden himself won’t be busting out any dance moves. His campaign team will be in charge of the account.
The TikTok saga continues, but for now, you can keep on scrolling and creating. Who knows what’ll happen in the next nine months (or more)? One thing is certain: politics and TikTok are never dull!
What caused the ban?
Lawmakers and intelligence officials have been sounding the alarm about the app’s growing influence and data security issues. ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is concerned that their national security laws might force them to hand over user data to the Chinese government.
Back in 2019, TikTok’s user base exploded, growing by a whopping 87% and reaching nearly half a billion people worldwide. That’s when lawmakers started raising concerns with the acting director of national intelligence. They were afraid that China could use the app to push its own agenda by manipulating or censoring certain content.
In a letter, they wrote, “TikTok reportedly censors materials deemed politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party.” They pointed out examples like protests in Hong Kong, the Tiananmen Square massacre, and independence movements in Tibet and Taiwan. They also mentioned the repression of the Uighur ethnic minority. The lawmakers cautioned that foreign influence campaigns could use TikTok as a tool, similar to what occurred on U.S.-based social media platforms during the 2016 election.
Fast forward to today, and TikTok has over a billion users worldwide. Here’s a crazy stat: according to the Pew Research Center, about a third of adults under 30 in the U.S. regularly get their news from TikTok. The app is influencing a significant number of young minds!
Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, has been leading the charge against TikTok in Congress. He even introduced legislation that passed in the House in March. Gallagher compared China’s ownership of TikTok to a hypothetical scenario in which the U.S.S.R. bought major US news outlets during the Cold War.
In a statement, Gallagher didn’t mince words. He said, “TikTok is a digital fentanyl that’s addicting Americans, collecting troves of their data, and censoring their news.” ByteDance is America’s foremost adversary.
When you put it that way, it’s no wonder lawmakers are worried. Although TikTok appears to be a lighthearted platform, it conceals some serious issues. As the app grows and influences more and more people around the world, it’s definitely something to watch closely.
When might a ban become effective?
TikTok ban situation. If ByteDance decides to fight back and not sell the company, we could be in for a long and messy court battle that could drag on for years. TikTok hasn’t challenged the federal legislation yet, but they’ve already proven they can hold their own in court.
Flashback to 2020, when former President Trump tried to drop the hammer on TikTok with an executive order. He aggressively pursued sanctions and exerted pressure on ByteDance to sell, asserting that the app posed a threat to national security due to its collection of user data, censorship of content, and potential for disseminating misinformation, particularly regarding COVID-19 and its origins. However, TikTok didn’t have it. They sued the Trump administration, and guess what? A federal judge sided with them, saying that Trump overstepped his emergency economic powers when he tried to ban the app.
Now, it’s not just the feds coming after TikTok. The Associated Press reported that almost half of the states have already banned TikTok on government or agency devices. And get this: Montana went even further and tried to ban TikTok statewide, even on personal devices! They wanted to protect people’s personal data by making sure app stores couldn’t carry TikTok within the state. But once again, TikTok lawyered up and sued Montana. And just like before, a judge ruled that the ban probably violated the First Amendment and went beyond the state’s power.
What happens to TikTok’s 170 million users in the U.S.? Well, don’t panic just yet. Even if a ban happens, current users will likely still be able to use the app. The ban would merely halt TikTok’s sale in app stores such as Apple and Google and hinder users from obtaining updates or bug fixes.
Now, if you want to see what a swift TikTok ban looks like, take a look at India. Back in June 2020, after a deadly military conflict with China, India’s government banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese-owned apps practically overnight. India’s 200 million TikTok users lost access to the app in the blink of an eye.
When one door closes, another one opens. Indian media reports that other apps seized the opportunity to replace TikTok. Former TikTokers flocked to platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, which offer a similar short-form video experience. And if a ban does happen in the United States, users will still have options like Facebook, Instagram Stories and Snapchat Spotlight.
While the future of TikTok in the U.S. is still up in the air, one thing’s for sure: this fight is far from over. Whether it’s in the courts or in the app stores, TikTok and ByteDance seem determined to keep the app alive and kicking. But even if the worst happens, TikTokers are a resourceful bunch. They’ll find a way to keep creating and sharing, no matter what.
Who is buying?
Maybe nobody ends up buying TikTok. Why? Well, China probably isn’t too keen on letting the company go. Back in 2020, the Chinese government basically said, “Hold up, the TikTok algorithm is a national security asset,” and added it to their list of controlled exports. Therefore, China is likely to reject ByteDance’s sale attempt.
Let’s rewind to 2020, when Trump was all about that executive order life. Microsoft was like, “Hey, we might be interested in buying TikTok,” but that deal fizzled out faster than a TikTok trend. The company hasn’t come out and said if they’d be down to “explore a purchase” again, but who knows?
And guess what? Walmart and Oracle were also eyeing TikTok in 2020. They even got a tentative thumbs up from the feds for a 20% joint acquisition. But guess what? That deal went down the drain too.
If China decides to relinquish its control over TikTok, who might be willing to take the lead? Well, Shark Tank’s own Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary, said in an interview last month that he’d be game to buy the app or join a group of buyers. And former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin? He’s apparently putting together his own investor group to snatch up TikTok. But for now, he’s keeping the other investors on the lower side.
At the end of the day, it’s all a big question mark. Will China let TikTok go? Will Microsoft give it another shot? Will Kevin O’Leary or Steven Mnuchin swoop in and make a deal? Or will TikTok simply keep going, algorithm and all? I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this whole saga plays out. However, one thing is certain: the world of TikTok and its powers is never dull.
The Information is Taken from The Star and U.S. News
