If you’ve been online at all these past few weeks, you’ve likely noticed a lot of people screaming and crying about the upcoming TikTok ban. TikTok, the social media platform famous for bite-size clips of people dancing, pulling pranks, and making videos of obviously disgusting food in the name of ragebait, exploded back in popularity back in 2020. But now, the platform is set to disappear as an impending ban is about to take effect.
So, what’s up with this TikTok ban?
Okay, catch me up. What’s going on with this ban?
The ban stems from a law signed back in April. The law forced TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, to either sell the sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. ByteDance’s 9-month grace period ended on January 19th, and since they haven’t been able – or willing – to sell, the ban is slated to take effect.
This seems pretty extreme over an app that’s mostly videos of silly memes and dancing teenagers. Why all the worry?
Well first, TikTok is more than just silly dances (although that is a big part of it, for sure). With over 170 million users in the U.S., it’s become a major source for young people to get entertainment, news, and learn about everything from wellness tips to fashion trends.
But it’s that popularity that has worried many in government, especially national security experts. Their concerns are two-fold. First, TikTok collects a lot of data on its users, including basic things (name, age, location), data about your phone, your activity on the app, the content of your messages, and even keystrokes. Officials are worried about how the data of the app’s 170 million citizens is being used. ByteDance, the app’s parent company, is based in China, meaning it must follow Chinese data privacy laws. Analysts say that the Chinese government could easily force ByteDance to turn over the data about the app’s users, perhaps to spy on them or find sources for some other kind of intelligency operations.
Besides that, there’s also concern that TikTok could be used to manipulate American public opinion. While many of the app’s competitors also use algorithms to suggest videos, TikTok’s is known for being especially powerful and well-tuned, with some users describing how the app knew they were bi before they did. It has a unique ability to send users down rabbit holes, with ByteDance’s own studies finding teens can be addicted in just 35 minutes, sometimes with dangerous results. Experts worry that an adversary like China could use the app to influence Americans, spread misinformation, or sow national division in the event of a conflict.
Wow, that sounds a bit scary! So basically, TikTok is just a piece of foreign spyware?
Not exactly. Most of these fears are hypothetical, and the government hasn’t offered any concrete examples that this has happened or would happen. There was an incident in 2022 when when 4 employees used IP data on journalists to try and track down suspected leaks (ByteDance voluntarily admitted to the spying, apologized, and fired those involved), but there hasn’t been any specific examples (at least in public) that officials’s fears have materialized.
What do the users think about the ban?
TikTok users have been apoplectic for the last few weeks, responding with a mixture of frustration, sadness, and dark humor. One user described it as going through “heartbreak”. Others posted sarcastic videos saying good bye to the “Chinese spies” who they jokingly said were assigned to them. Many so-called “TikTok refugees” have migrated to Xiaohongshu, another Chinese social media app. Overall, there’s a sense of sad recognition that their app will be gone.
Aww! Well, what’s ByteDance doing about it? Are they just going to go quietly into the night?
They filed a lawsuit to try to stop the law, and took their case all the way to the Supreme Court. But on Friday, the court upheld the law, deciding unanimously that the government could ban the app. In the opinion, they noted that “TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the government’s national security concerns.”
So, this is totally legal? What’s the basis?
The law, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, makes it illegal for app stores such as those run by Apple and Google to enable access to apps that the government deems a threat to national security. It doesn’t target individuals but rather companies that provide access to apps.
The idea of banning foreign ownership of media companies is not new. The Communications Act of 1934 bars foreign individuals and companies from owning more than 20% of a broadcaster (though these rules have been relaxed in recent years). Other countries have similar laws about foreign ownership of broadcasting.
Okay, so Biden wanted to ban the app. But Biden is old news now. So what’s Trump gonna do?
Like almost everything else with Trump, it’s hard to know. Trump initially wanted to ban TikTok himself, even going so far as signing an executive order back in 2020 to do so. That plan failed, and in the 4 years he’s been out of office, he seems to have had a change of heart. In a March 2024 interview, he explained he was no longer in favor of a ban, saying, “There’s a danger to banning it with, you know, freedom of speech – there’s many different problems.”
It’s hard to say what exactly spurred his change of heart, though some have speculated it’s part of a new-found support (and donations) he’s gotten from Silicon Valley. He’s also credited TikTok with being a great way to reach supporters, so perhaps he’s come to see it as a helpful tool to reach supporters. Or it could just be populist politics – only about one-third of Americans support a ban.
So far, he’s indicated that he’s interested in saving the company when he takes office. On Sunday, he posted on Truth Social that he plans to issue an executive order to extend give the company more time to find a buyer (under the law, he can give a one-time 90 day extension. He went on to explain what he hopes will happen, saying, “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up.” While the law requires that ByteDance divest from the media app, it doesn’t specify how much of a divestment would be necessary, raising the possibility that a partial sale would satisfy the law’s requirements.
Such a shame. Where will I go for my regular does of viral dance videos and Nyquill chicken recipes?
Umm… is that a thing?
Oh yeah! TikTok has lots of great life hack, like how you can eat corn on the cob faster by using a drill!
I.. have no response to that.