TikTok has been a controversial platform since its rise to popularity began. The China-based company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, has given the US government some concerns about data security and foreign influences introduced through the app. These worries stem from the Chinese Communist Party and its connections to private corporations in China. The CCP can be very persuasive and companies have been punished for opposing against them. Talk of banning TikTok in the United States started back in 2020. On August 6th, 2020, former president Donald Trump tried to ban the use of the app but failed. A software company named Oracle stepped in at the final hour and made a bid to become a partner with TikTok. This led to Oracle’s “Project Texas” in 2022. This project allowed TikTok to transfer its US user data into an infrastructure that allowed algorithms to be filtered, while also stopping the threat of the CCP spying on information. Even though some worries about foreign intrusion subsided, House of Committee on Energy and Commerce members still pushed for a nationwide ban. In 2023, several Republican-led states started to sign legislation in support of the bill to ban the app but ended up being blocked. The bill has resurfaced again along with the fear of a breach of US user privacy. The bill that is being pushed is known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This bill would require ByteDance to either sell TikTok or the government will proceed with a nationwide ban in all app stores. It seems nowadays that the government is usually very divided on topics. Still, a House Committee voted unanimously to advance a bipartisan bill that puts ByteDance on a time limit of six months to sell the company. The bill also allows the executive branch to prohibit any other applications that could threaten national security. While the vote was unanimous, there have been a few concerns about “phone freedom” and that the banning of TikTok would intrude on the First Amendment right of expression. Also, a ban on TikTok could ruin small businesses that use the app to market and sell products through TikTok shop, which is an easy way for small businesses to earn traction. This would also impact influencers who rely on the app as their source of income. If the legislation gets passed in the Senate and taken to the president, Biden has confirmed that he will sign the bill.
Image found https://hls.harvard.edu/today/will-the-us-ban-tiktok/
