TikTok, a Chinese app, was rolled out globally in September 2017, and now, after nearly five years, the app is facing challenges. TikTok has been a sensation worldwide, pioneering the ‘reel’ concept, now a hallmark of Meta’s Instagram. However, in 2020, India banned TikTok and several other Chinese apps over national security concerns. Recently, the US government issued the TikTok ban bill. Why? Let me explain.
With over 170 million users, TikTok is immensely popular in the United States. Similar to India, the U.S. has concerns about national security due to the app’s data storage practices. Lawmakers fear that China could access American data and conduct surveillance through TikTok. Recently, President Joe Biden signed a bill to ban TikTok, acknowledging the challenge of passing it but affirming America’s resilience.
Also read: TikTok now has over 1 billion downloads on Android alone
With over 170 million users, TikTok is quite popular in the United States. Similar to India, the US has concerns about national security due to the app’s data storage practices. The US lawmakers fear that through TikTok, China could have access to American data and could conduct surveillance as well. Now, the President of the United States, Joe Biden has finally signed the TikTok ban bill. Talking about this matter, he said, “The path to my desk was a difficult path. It should have been easier and it should’ve gotten there sooner. But in the end, we did what America always does, we rose to the moment.”
Speaking about the TikTok ban bill, it requires the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance to sell the app within a year. If not, the US will ban it for good. However, the story doesn’t end here. TikTok is also willing to fight the US government over the case.
TikTok’s CEO expressed confidence on Wednesday, stating the company anticipates overcoming a legal hurdle against a new law signed by President Joe Biden. The law, aimed at banning TikTok, mandates ByteDance to divest its U.S. assets within 270 days. CEO Shou Zi Chew reassured, “We’re staying put; the facts and the Constitution support us.”
Here’s the video of NBC Bay Area that discusses the future of TikTok and the TikTok ban bill:
