July 17, 2024

What are the reasons for the proposed US ban on TikTok?

Article link copied.

slide image

on April 24, 2024 US President Joe Biden signed law to ban TikTok in the United States unless it is sold. Biden puts the deadline for a sale at January 19, 2025.

Picture by: Nordskov Media

US President Joe Biden recently signed a billthat could force a sale of TikTok – or nationally ban the social media platform – in the United States.

Since its initial release in 2016, TikTok has surged in global popularity, with the tech-based blog BackLinkoreporting immense growth since 2018 and 1.04bn monthly active users worldwide on the app at the time of writing.

In the US alone, the platform had amassed over 170mn active users by January 2024.

However, despite the widespread use of the app, the safety and security of TikTok has been contested and recently questioned by the US government. Out of 50 states, 39 have already banned TikTok usage on government-issued devices, with many public universities also banning access to the platform with on-campus wi-fi and university-owned computers. About 50% of Americans support the TikTok ban while 32% are against the idea, as reported by Variety.

The possibility of a nationwide ban gained traction in the US with bipartisan support, culminating in Senate approval with a vote of 79 to 18. The bill signed by President Biden forced ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app to a US company within a year or face a national ban. The company has claimed that the bill violates their First Amendment rights and has chosen to sue the US government.

Why is there criticism?

The US is not alone in its apprehension towards TikTok; the platform has already been banned or restricted by a handful of countries, including Australia and India. As reported by PBS News, 18 countries have implemented either a partial or total ban for varying reasons. The Taliban in Afghanistan enforced a ban to protect young people from ‘being misled’, and Australia has partially banned TikTok on federally issued devices based on security advice.

Some critics of TikTok are particularly concerned about threats posed to national security through an alleged connection between ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

TikTok has countered these claims by asserting that 60% of the company is owned by global investors (including US-based investors), 20% by its Chinese co-founders and 20% by its employees. Nonetheless, fears persist that the Chinese government could access the personal data of Americans and potentially influence their political opinions through the app’s algorithms.

While no public evidence has surfaced linking the Chinese government to such data manipulation on TikTok, concerns have arisen regarding the content imbalance between the larger number of pro-Palestine videos compared to pro-Israel videos on the app since the attack on October 7.

However, this trend mirrors the broader societal sentiment among young people and is consistent across numerous social media platforms.

The Washington Post reports that the #freepalestine hashtag was found on more than 11mn posts on Facebook, 39 times more than those with the #standwithisrael hashtag, indicating that the algorithm is not being manipulated in this respect.

TikTok maintains that the Chinese government has not requested user data, and emphasizes that US data is strictly controlled by its US subsidiary. Additionally, many argue that other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, also collect extensive data that could potentially be exploited, making the ban of TikTok relatively unfair.

Learn more:

Half of U.S. Adults Support TikTok Ban, and 46% Think China Uses App to Spy on Americans: Poll

Aside from how the app impacts American security and privacy, concerns are being raised about the economic and cultural impacts of a potential ban as many Americans rely on the platform as a primary source of income and to connect to current events.

Despite the majority being in favor of the ban, 45% of adults believe that the ban of TikTok will negatively impact small businesses and a further 46% of adults believe it challenges the idea of free speech.

A Pew Research survey indicates the number of US adults consuming news via TikTok has ‘more than quadrupled, from 3% in 2020 to 14% in 2023’. For those under 30, around one-third consume news via TikTok. Another study conducted showed that very few teenagers (aged 13–17) supported the ban with just 18% in favor.

Currently, the fate of TikTok remains uncertain, depending on factors such as ByteDance’s response to the American legislation and even the result of the US election, with Donald Trump now stating his lack of support for the ban despite earlier vows to carry it out for ‘national security’.

Written by:

author_bio

Emily Dorman

International Affairs Section Editor 2024

Florida, United States

Born in Orlando, Florida, in 2007, Emily is a high school junior with passion for current events and research.

She has aspirations to pursue a career in journalism and plans to major in political science and international affairs in college. Emily has gotten an early start to her career by volunteering with non-profit organizations and on political campaigns locally. She has also participated in the Model United Nations for four years.

Emily is currently studying both Mandarin and Turkish and enjoys learning about the cultures of the world. She has visited Taiwan and hopes to one day to visit Turkey.

In her free time, Emily likes to create digital art, read, and learn new tricks on the Chinese yoyo.

Ultimately, Emily’s main goal is to make the world a better place through activism, art, and writing.

author_bio

Anna Wilkin

Contributor

St. Julian’s, Malta

Born in Oxford, on September 18, 2007, Anna is currently based in Malta and studying online for a school based in Poland. Moving forward she plans to study Marine Biology in London.

In her free time, she enjoy painting, drawing, reading and playing tennis.

Anna is fluent in English and speaks some Polish and French.

Edited by:

author_bio

Cressida Anness Lorenz

International Affairs Editor 2024

London, United Kingdom

society

🌍 Join the World's Youngest Newsroom—Create a Free Account

Sign up to save your favourite articles, get personalised recommendations, and stay informed about stories that Gen Z worldwide actually care about. Plus, subscribe to our newsletter for the latest stories delivered straight to your inbox. 📲

Login/Register