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TikTok: The video-sharing app has received a lot of attention over the last two years, and now a ban seems likely.
TikTok has experienced security issues consistently since the former administration of Donald Trump.
The company, however, has survived the Trump administration.
After that, it grew in popularity, and by 2020–2022, it was the most downloaded app in the US.
Many business owners who found success on TikTok would be impacted if the ban were to occur.
The future of TikTok
The video-sharing app registered over 100 million users in 2020.
TikTok’s impact on American culture, influencers’ lives, and business owners’ lives grew through the years.
Republican governors had begun to be suspicious of the app at that point.
They recently decided that government-owned gadgets cannot have TikTok installed by state employees.
Meanwhile, a majority-Republican FCC panel urged Apple and Google to take more drastic action against TikTok.
Sen. Marco Rubio and two other US politicians have submitted a bill to ban the app in the US.
As the political witch-hunt continues, a thorough study into TikTok’s and other social media platforms’ effects on younger users is currently being conducted.
There are differing views on whether the content on TikTok is suitable for teenage audiences.
Concerns about the TikTok algorithm are frequently expressed because it could result in the upload of potentially harmful content.
Criticism
TikTok has received criticism from Washington due to its parent company’s ties to China.
After a Buzzfeed News article this year revealed that some US user data had been accessed from China, the concerns increased.
China could see everything, according to a worker mentioned in the report.
In the midst of this, TikTok confirmed that some of its Chinese staff had access to user information from the US.
Read also: Google review system pressures employees
Negotiations
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the video-sharing app have been in talks for a while.
They’ve been trying to come up with a solution that would satisfy national security requirements while still allowing the app to operate.
There have, however, reportedly been delays in the negotiations.
National security experts claim that TikTok’s popularity only makes it harder to ban the app.
Some of TikTok’s critics have questioned whether a ban would be effective.
TikTok is not allowed to be installed on US government equipment, according to a law drafted by Senator Josh Hawley.
He stated last week that a settlement between TikTok and the US government that protects user data would be acceptable.
“But if they don’t do that then I think we’re going to have to look at more stringent measures,” said Hawley.
The community
TikTok users have been building a sense of community despite lawmakers’ increased calls for harsher regulations on the app.
For many users, the video-sharing software has turned into a source of income.
The following were made possible thanks to TikTok:
- Culinary habits
- Fashion and beauty trends
- Reviving old music
- Popularizing new songs
Additionally, TikTok has been used by US politicians to promote their campaigns for the midterm elections.
In an effort to attract new audiences, the long-standing news company Associated Press, which has been around for 176 years, just joined the app.
“So many people, myself included, are always on TikTok,” said user Kahlil Greene.
“That’s where we get our entertainment from, our news from, our musical taste from, our social inside jokes we make with friends come from memes that started on TikTok.”
As the “Gen Z historian,” Green has gathered more than 580,000 followers as a result of his chronicling of social and cultural issues.
Once the Biden administration saw how popular he was, they invited him to a press conference at the White House to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“So much of our culture and lives are driven by TikTok,” Greene added.
“Now that it’s not just something you can rip away easily.”
Popularity
Without a doubt, TikTok is one of the most widely used social networking apps in the US.
The company, which is owned by ByteDance in Beijing, is dedicated to migrating user data to Oracle’s cloud computing platform.
Additionally, substantial changes are being undertaken to separate US user data from that of other business sectors.
Weeks earlier, TikTok announced it will work with a special internal committee headed by US-based authorities to restructure its US-focused legal, policy, and content moderation teams.
A spokesman for TikTok responded to the bill by saying:
“It’s troubling that rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States.”
“We will continue to brief members of Congress on the plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies – plans that we are well underway in implementing – to further secure our platform in the United States.”
The spokesman further emphasized TikTok’s popularity by saying:
“TikTok is loved by millions of Americans who use the platform to learn, grow their businesses, and connect with creative content that brings them joy.”
Read also: TikTok prohibited on government devices, according to new US sanction
Other notes
TikTok has continued hiring staff, especially American engineers, while other tech companies have sacked employees.
In an effort to surpass Amazon as the biggest online retailer, the company may be attempting to create its own domestic warehouse network, according to recent job listings.
According to Rick Sofield, a lawyer at Vinson & Elkins LLP who specializes in export restrictions, national security reviews, and economic penalties, TikTok’s immense popularity presents problems for the federal government.
“I think their minds are made up that ByteDance owning is a national security concern,” said Sofield.
“The reason that we’ve been hung up is it’s too big to fail, and they’re trying to figure out a soft landing.”
“There’s a whole lot of things I think that would have to happen first, before there’s a ban.”
Reference:
TikTok might be too big to ban, no matter what lawmakers say
