US Senate approves the bill to ban Chinese app TikTok
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Why US passed TikTok ban bill
The US Senate passed the bill banning Chinese entertainment giant TikTok in the country. The TikTok ban bill was passed with a huge gap of 7918 votes making it almost unanimous on the part of the house. Now the TikTok ban bill awaiting US President Joe Biden’s assent. According to this legislation, ByteDance have two options in the country, either it is required to divest its ownership of the app, or else it will face an effective ban in the United States.
Sell or face stern action
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications bill grants Chinese entertainment giant, ByteDance, up to one year to sell its prized TikTok assets and shares to a US buyer.
This timeline allows an initial nine month period for a deal, with the option for a 90 day extension if the progress is made. Also note, If ByteDance fails to complete the process within stipulated timeframe, The legislation would prohibit short video platform TikTok from operating in the United States which results into full ban of the TikTok.
The Government would then ban TikTok from all the app stores and internet hosting services. It is expected that ban would take effect shortly after the deadline, though legal challenges may delay the implementation.
Potential data breaches by TikTok
The plan to come up with such a drastic bill to ban TikTok is not an overnight thought instead build upon the clear observation of the Chinese app data policies and actual data practices. According to many experts, Beijing based ByteDance is potentially transferring user data to home country China which is probably the most concerning thing and therefore require stern action.
However, The app claimed, it has never shared a single piece of user data with the Chinese officials and government at home. All the user information is only on the servers under Singapore and United States.
“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok or any other individual company, Congress is acting to prevent adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans.”
This is incredible. Last night Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) gave an eloquent speech warning about the extreme dangers of the TikTok ban in the giant "National Security" bill. He correctly denounced it as unprecedented state censorship
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 24, 2024
Then… he proceeded to VOTE *YES* ON THE BILL!!! pic.twitter.com/zeaEIL6eBI
Violation of Freedom of speech
TikTok is living its dream at the international level, with having tremendous user base and one of the largest following among the youth. Not only this, The platform has about 170 million active users in the US alone. By forcing a sale or ban, the new law threatens to disrupt TikTok’s growth trajectory.
“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge” ~ Michael Beckerman
Following the Senate move to approve the bill banning TikTok in the country, the company is ready for its next move to fight a legal battle against the state once President Biden gives assent to the bill. The issue is pretty simple, TikTok will challenge the decision on the first amendment to the US constitution that is freedom of speech.
How can i save my TikTok data?
TikTok data may include two types of users, first creators who create astonishing and creative videos and others who merely consume all the content shared on the app. For now, your user experience shall remain same on the app but for how long, we don’t know. You can plan for a potential shutdown by backing up your data.
If you post to TikTok, make sure your videos are backed up by going to your profile → Settings and privacy → Account → Download your data.
What are the alternatives to TikTok?
We know and appreciate the mega trend of TikTok and its popularity among the American youth but there are many alternatives to the short video giant TikTok. YouTube has YouTube Shorts and Instagram’s Reel are some of the short video vertical based on the same concept. Additionally, Snapchat has Spotlight, in the same manner.
The potential ban of TikTok will open gates to many companies developing tons of alternatives to TikTok and try to capture market. So take a chill pill, You’ll get many more options if TikTok got banned in the US.
How the creators on the app be impacted?
TikTok currently host around 7 million US businesses on its platform and therefore a potential ban will threaten individual creators and small business owners livelihood in the country. The company has not yet answered the questions, including how long paid ads would continue to run and what would happen to CapCut, the ByteDance-owned video editing app, posed by the creators on the app ban.
How can i protect myself on TikTok?
TikTok is not going to outrightly ban its operations in the country and if you use TikTok and fear data breaches then you can follow below listed points 🙂
- Try not to impart your contacts to TikTok
- Set up a new and more unknown TikTok account
- Block TikTok from gathering data on what you do beyond its application
- Watch TikTok videos on an internet browser rather than in the application
- For guardians, TikTok has a component to interface their records with a youngster’s
Biden signed TikTok Ban Bill
President Biden signed the controversial TikTok ban bill and make it into the law. Now, ByteDance have only two options, either to sell all its TikTok assets to an American firm or face stern ban in the country. White House holds press briefing after Biden signs potential TikTok ban bill into Law. National Security advisor Jake Sullivan said, “The passage of this bill sends a powerful message to rest of the world about the enduring strength of the American leadership.”
FAQs
When does the ban go into effect?
The proposal granted nine months to ByteDance to divest all its assets to a new US buyer or face total ban in the country. If the sale is in progress then additional three months will be given to the company to complete the sale.
Should i be worried about using TikTok?
Lawmakers and Administrative officials warned about potential data breaches as The Chinese National Security Laws requires companies to brief upon data for intelligence gathering which ByteDance would also likely be subject to. However, The company said, it has never shared any US user data to the Chinese authorities.
