A US-wide ban on the social media platform TikTok has grown increasingly possible in recent months. Although a potential ban has its roots in a Trump-era executive order, it has become an increasingly mainstream political position under President Joe Biden, whose administration has reportedly demanded that ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent company, either sell off TikTok or face being banned in the US.
The core concern is national security, namely that ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok could give the Chinese government a way to access personal data on the service’s 150 million US users. The federal government already bans its employees from installing the app on official devices, and it’s an increasingly similar story across state governments. There are also concerns that TikTok’s video recommendation algorithm could be used to promote China’s foreign policy goals.
But the concerns come at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries that has seen US officials more wary than ever of China’s growing influence on the world stage. Last year, the Biden administration announced sweeping new restrictions aimed at limiting China’s access to advanced technology and has lobbied international partners to do the same.
Read on for all the latest news on a potential TikTok ban in the US.
TikTok’s planning to flood the nation’s capital with “dozens” of influencers next week for a three-day protest of Biden’s potential ban on the app, according to a report from Politico.
The Chinese-owned app is reportedly even paying the influencers for their journey to DC, although it’s unclear who will be in attendance. TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown has since confirmed the company’s plans to Politico:
We look forward to welcoming our creators to our nation’s capital, helping them make their voices heard, and continuing to drive meaningful impact in their lives and for their communities.
The UK has banned TikTok on government-issued phones after a review concluded there “could be a risk around how sensitive government data is accessed and used by certain platforms.”
Described as a “precautionary move,” the ban dawdles after the US and EU already introduced their own restrictions citing similar security concerns.
TikTok is under intense scrutiny over user safety and whether the app poses a national security risk. CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before Congress next week.
The RESTRICT Act would empower the secretary of Commerce to ban apps that pose a risk to US national security.
The bill would allow President Joe Biden to ban TikTok for sharing user data with the Chinese government.
