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Will TikTok get banned in the US? What are the arguments for and against a US TikTok ban? What does the ban mean for you?
In recent months, the White House, Congress, US armed forces, and more than half of US states have banned TikTok, from government-issued devices. There’s broad concern that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could share Americans’ personal data with the Chinese government.
Keep reading to learn about both sides of the argument.
Governments Ban TikTok
In late February, the White House gave federal agencies 30 days to delete the Chinese-owned video app TikTok from all government-issued devices. The dictate came on the heels of similar bans by Congress, the US armed forces, and more than half of US states—all sourcing from concerns that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could share Americans’ personal data with—or push propaganda and misinformation from—the Chinese government.
What’s behind the spreading US TikTok ban? Who supports it and doesn’t? What does the ban mean for you? This article examines varied experts’ viewpoints on these questions.
Why the TikTok Ban?
TikTok, a popular social media app that allows users to create, watch, and share brief videos, has more than 100 million users in the US. It’s come under fire in the US because:
- It tracks copious amounts of personal data, including users’ communications, locations, device models, operating systems, search histories, email addresses, and contacts.
- The Chinese government can access this information via a 2017 law that compels Chinese companies to turn over data believed to impact national security.
TikTok has strenuously denied sharing user data with the authoritarian government. The company is engaged in a $1.5 billion restructuring plan it says will address US national security concerns and “firewall” Americans’ data from Chinese interference. “Project Texas” would make an Austin-based technology company responsible for monitoring TikTok’s algorithm and have third-party auditors silo and secure US user data.
Some experts say the initiative would give the US government an unprecedented opportunity to monitor and control the app’s operations. But lawmakers question Project Texas’s ability to secure user data, and a former TikTok employee claims that TikTok officials already lied to the US government about the initiative’s security controls. These allegations mirror those of a source who, in 2022, shared leaked audio revealing that Chinese engineers had accessed US TikTok users’ private data.
TikTok Ban Proponents
In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, senators from both sides of the aisle have come together to support TikTok bans:
- A Senate proposal would enable the Commerce Department to ban apps like TikTok from operating in the US if they pose a national security risk.
- A House Foreign Affairs Committee bill would empower President Biden to ban TikTok outright if the company shares user data with individuals tied to the Chinese government.
The White House offered support for the Senate bill, and recently urged TikTok to tell ByteDance to divest their stakes in the app or face a possible US ban. Beijing responded that it would oppose such a sale-—proof, some say, of China’s influence on the app.
Can the US Ban TikTok Outright?
Many experts argue that a total TikTok ban is problematic for a host of reasons:
- It would likely be unconstitutional and unfeasible. Civil liberty groups say a nationwide ban likely isn’t constitutional and could create a dangerous precedent for the US government to dictate how Americans communicate. Also, it’s unclear how the government could ban TikTok on privately owned phones and survive court challenges.
- It could compromise US social media platforms and business. A ban could prompt retaliatory bans of US-based apps and businesses in other countries.
- It would be hypocritical, xenophobic grandstanding. Some argue that the US government already abuses and exploits user data gathered by US tech companies—so concerns it expresses about China doing the same are pure political showboating.
- It would negatively impact millions of influencers and other US citizens whose identity, self-expression, communications, and financial health are tied to the app.
Looking Ahead
Whether the US government bans TikTok outright remains to be seen, though the verbal beatdown that members of Congress gave the app’s CEO at a March 23rd hearing suggests movement in that direction.
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