Real Reason Why USA Is Banning TikTok & When Does The Actual Ban Kick In?
Lawmakers globally are expressing concerns about TikTok, the social media platform owned by China’s ByteDance. Most recently, the US government is close to passing laws to ban the app unless it changes ownership. What’s the reason behind this TikTok controversy?
The Reason For TikTok Ban
President Biden signed a bill into law on Wednesday, giving ByteDance up to a year to detach from TikTok. This decision followed approval from the US Senate the night before. The reason for this strict move comes down to China. Officials in Western nations are increasingly concerned about TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, potentially jeopardizing sensitive user data, including location information, for the benefit of the Chinese government. They’ve also drawn attention to regulations allowing the Chinese government to secretly acquire data from Chinese entities and individuals for intelligence purposes.
They are also concerned that China might utilize TikTok’s content recommendations to propagate misinformation, especially given the heightened concerns in the United States during events like the Israel-Hamas conflict and the presidential election.
Has TikTok Faced Action From Other Countries?
Indeed, the Indian government swiftly banned the app on June 29, 2020. Almost overnight, TikTok vanished from the Indian market, yet the accounts and videos from Indian TikTok remain online, frozen in a snapshot of its cultural significance. Moreover, several countries and government bodies, including Britain, Australia, Canada, France, and New Zealand’s Parliament, have restricted TikTok’s usage on official devices. Taiwan’s minister of digital affairs has also categorized TikTok as a national security threat.
When Does The Actual Ban Kick In?
it won’t happen overnight. There will likely be legal battles ahead, and China might try to interfere with the sale or export of the technology. Sorting out these issues could take a long time, possibly months or even years. Most of the TikTok bans seen so far have been from governments and universities. But if the government bans TikTok for all Americans, there could be some legal challenges. It’s tough to prove why such a ban is necessary, and it might take anywhere from six months to a year to sort out.
TikTok’s Response?
They’ve labeled the bans as “political theater” and criticized lawmakers for attempting to censor Americans. In March, they took it a step further by sending out a pop-up message urging users to contact lawmakers and voice their opposition to the TikTok ban.
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