The U.S. TikTok ban, explained

TikTok is a global phenomenon since its 2017 relaunch. The short-form video app — which uses an algorithm that suggests videos to people in an endless feed you can scroll through — is peppered with every kind of content under the sun. Whether you’re interested in anime, looking for the wildest mashups you’ve ever heard, or just there for sheer entertainment, the expansiveness of the app has allowed it to become the defining social media platform of an entire generation. Pew Research Center’s survey found 67% of U.S. teenagers use the app. This is out of over 150,000,000 American users.

However, as TikTok has grown, it’s faced increased scrutiny from users, journalists, and the U.S. government. There have been criticisms of the app for misinformation regarding a wide range of topics such as climate change and COVID-19. It also promoted the war in Ukraine. TikTok has also faced lawsuits from parents who’ve claimed the app encouraged eating disorders in their children.

Recent developments have seen Tiktok face a greater challenge. Federal and state institutions are seeking to ban Tiktok due to national security concerns. The app is not new. Former President Trump in 2020 proposed an end to TikTok. In mid-March, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden Administration demanded TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes or face a possible ban in the United States. In the midst of growing uncertainties surrounding TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s CEO, testified before Congress on Thursday morning.

The potential ban information can seem overwhelming. This is why we have compiled everything from TikTok scrollers to help you understand the proposal and the possible effects on daily users.

TikTok: Why is it so important?

Basically, certain lawmakers want to ban TikTok because they say it poses a national security risk, with regard to the Chinese government and, more specifically, the fear that this government could or does interfere with TikTok’s operations. TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance has been criticized by American legislators for allowing TikTok to exploit American user data and send them misleading information. That being said, there’s a number of people who all have varying opinions on these alleged dangers and possibilities, so it’s important not to generalize these arguments too much. In this case, it’s helpful to look directly at the logic of the lawmakers who were early proponents of the ban.

Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The support for a ban goes beyond the list. However, three important politicians are supporting a TikTok ban. They are Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher from Wisconsin, and Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi. They make a lot reference to fighting communism and protecting democracy.

“This isn’t about creative videos — this is about an app that is collecting data on tens of millions of American children and adults every day. We know it’s used to manipulate feeds and influence elections. We know it answers to the People’s Republic of China,” Sen. Rubio said is his statement on the proposed legislation to ban TikTok.

What should I do about TikTok’s use of my data?

The answer to this question is actually quite complicated, because there is a lot we don’t know about ByteDance’s relationship with China and its government. An explanation from the Associated Press states that it all depends on how serious you think the threat is and what your concerns are regarding technology companies using personal information.

The FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have both warned that TikTok could share users’ information with the Chinese government. (TikTok has already been banned from use on federal devices; in other words, if you’re a U.S. government staffer, you can’t have the app installed on your work phone.) Proponents of the ban point to a 2017 Chinese law that would require companies like ByteDance to provide information to the government when it pertains to national security concerns, but according to the AP, there’s no evidence that TikTok has ever turned over data. ByteDance claimed in December that two TikTok journalists had stolen data from its employees. This was a major instance of what is being called documented misuse. The Justice Department is investigating the matter..

Again, there is still a lot we don’t know about TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and its relationship with the Chinese government, but U.S. legislators’ arguments in favor of this ban also arguably tap into a long-running fear of China and communism in general, in ways that are reminiscent of Cold War-era anti-communist attitudes. In his statement on the bill, Rep. Gallagher likened allowing TikTok to exist in the U.S. to “allowing the U.S.S.R. to buy up the New York Times, Washington Post, and major broadcast networks during the Cold War.”

TikTok is not the only tech company to be accused of improperly handling user data. Meta-owned Facebook and other platforms have also seen instances of data mismanagement and exploitative behavior in relation to their algorithms. Cambridge Analytica, for example, provided data on roughly 50 million Facebook users that was then passed to the voting profile company. This could potentially have an effect on the U.S election results. In another instance, Facebook’s algorithm was shown to worsen the persecution of the Rohingya people in 2017, according to Amnesty International.

No evidence has been found that TikTok was involved in these types of incidents. However, what makes TikTok unique is that it’s owned by a Chinese parent company, ByteDance, which has flagged concerns with American politicians. TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has defended the company and its practices and said that divesting the company from Chinese owners doesn’t offer more protection than a multibillion-dollar plan TikTok has already proposed to protect American users’ data.

As a good rule of thumb, users should be skeptical about how their data is used by major tech companies — regardless of the platform. We don’t always know how U.S.-based companies like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter use data either, so if you want some good starter tips to protect your data, our friends at The Verge have put a great guide together.

Are the U.S. going to ban TikTok?

We don’t know if lawmakers or President Biden will actually ban TikTok at the national level and make it unavailable to all U.S. citizens. TikTok is already being banned in limited form across the United States as of this publication. Federal government-owned devices used for work were banned. More than two dozen other states also have similar bans. Additionally, TikTok is not available on Wi-Fi at colleges or universities.

We will update this article as more concrete information comes out about the U.S. government’s potential ban of TikTok.

What happens to TikTok?

We don’t yet know when or if TikTok will be banned, or whether it will get restricted in some form. An article in the Wall Street Journal raised concerns about a possible ban. It was reported that the Biden administration required Chinese owners to sell their stakes or face an immediate ban.

In practice however, TikTok’s ban will require the complex unwinding and reorganization of technological and political steps. This could make it difficult for TikTok to be implemented overnight across the country. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (a Democrat) is a member of the House’s new committee on U.S.-China competition and a lawmaker that supports bipartisan legislation to prohibit TikTok operating in the U.S. said on Face the NationHe stated that he doesn’t believe the app will be banned this year. That interview was given in 2023. It gives us an idea about how quickly legislation might move, from an insider’s perspective. But the story is still evolving. As we receive more information, this article will be updated.

What would happen if there was a TikTok ban?

A report by NBC News, which consulted four cybersecurity experts on the subject, suggests that there could be a number of ways that a ban can work. It would first be taken out of app marketplaces. This would mean that the app could still be downloaded on devices where it has been installed. However, it would eventually become unusable and inaccessible as updates would not be published by the company. A ban could also be imposed by the U.S. on TikTok. But, the report’s cybersecurity expert said that this was not the best way to go.