In April 2024, US President Joe Biden signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This legislation specifically targets TikTok, the popular social media platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The law stipulates that ByteDance must either divest TikTok to an American company or face a complete ban of the app in the United States by 2025.
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Why the Ban?
The primary motivation behind the TikTok ban is national security concerns. Here’s why:
- Data Privacy and Security: US politicians, law enforcement agencies, and intelligence officials have expressed apprehensions that Chinese authorities could compel ByteDance to hand over data from the approximately 170 million Americans who use TikTok. This worry stems from Chinese national security laws that mandate organizations to assist with intelligence gathering. While TikTok has denied sharing US user data, the fear persists.
- Link to China: TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese company raises suspicions about its alleged ties to the Chinese government. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) has been closely monitoring the situation, considering TikTok’s potential as a national security threat.
ByteDance’s Response
CEO Shou Zi Chew of ByteDance responded to the ban by asserting that the US Constitution is on TikTok’s side. In a video posted shortly after President Biden signed the bill, TikTok’s CEO said, “the company would fight in the courts to stay online in the US, Rest assured — we aren’t going anywhere.” He emphasized that TikTok would continue to operate while challenging the restrictions. The company had previously defeated a similar attempt to ban its use in Montana and plans to challenge this bill as well.
Interestingly, President Biden’s re-election campaign intends to continue using TikTok. The campaign’s TikTok account, @bidenhq, has posted numerous videos and garnered over 306,000 followers. Despite the White House’s concerns about TikTok’s impact on national security, the campaign believes that reaching voters through various platforms, including TikTok, is essential.
