Will TikTok get banned from the U.S.?
TikTok has boomed and exploded in growth since the COVID-19 started in 2020. Previously, in the last quarter of 2019, it had become the most downloaded app. It has become very influential and teens are not the only demographic to join the platform.
As the popularity and influence of TikTok continues, the Chinese-based app has come under scrutiny by the Trump Administration. As reported by Business Insider, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed on Fox News Monday that the government was looking into banning TikTok.
President Donald Trump equally echoed Pompeo’s remarks the following day. The premise behind this move was largely due to the coronavirus spread and blaming China for the pandemic.
Amid the talks of a ban TikTok’s platform experiences technical problems
There have been tons of videos, blog posts, and news articles about the possible ban. With all the talks focused on scrapping TikTok yesterday lots of users were worried about their pages experiencing glitches. Specifically, users who logged on their phones saw their videos with 0 views, which fueled rumors the ban had been instituted.
On the same day of the glitch, I posted on TikTok a video where I screen recorded the glitch. It did not last more than an hour on my device.
According to Mashable, the rumors spiraled out of control and lots of videos of meltdowns because of the technical difficulties with TikTok. Below are a few examples of people freaking out about this temporary issue:
Example 1:
Example 2:
Example 3:
Possible reasons why TikTok will not be banned
As far as a ban goes Jeff Couret, TikTok consultant with over 100k followers offered five reasons why this will not occur. As explained by Couret he mentioned these five reasons:
- The U.S. has never banned an app
- User data is stored in the U.S. and Singapore
- TikTok’s C.E.O and several thousand employees are based in the U.S.
- TikTok has refused to share data with China
- TikTok has a majority of stakeholders from the U.S.
Previously, I had published an analysis of TikTok hiring an American C.E.O, Kevin Mayer, since scrutiny was mounting by legislators because of national security.
The move was certainly to ensure that TikTok goes under the radar. However, that is impossible because it has mounted competition with YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and others. TikTok its own by ByteDance. It is the first social network that is not American-based and offering a formidable challenge.
Previous allegations against TikTok
The Verge confirmed that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has opened an investigation into TikTok. This national security did not have enough evidence collected and gathered to mount anything substantial against the social network.
One possible way TikTok’s reign could be jeopardized in the U.S. is for the Commerce Department to classify TikTok on the entity list. This limits the app from having commercial ties to American companies and prohibits them to do so. The administration does not need congressional approval. This tactic was used with Huawei.
So, if this maneuver were to be exploited Google and Apple would have a difficult time maintaining the app active.
Takeaways
If TikTok gets banned it would be a first since the advent of Google Play and the App Store. It seems to be more politically motivated at a time when the U.S. and China are at odds because of the trade disputes.
Will it be enough to have hired an American C.E.O? Is it enough to have moved and migrated data to the U.S.? Time will tell.
