The TikTok Ban: Will it happen? What would it mean?
The US House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States by forcing its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a US company, to continue operating in the country. The bill, titled the "Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act", passed the House by a vote of 352-65 and has support from President Biden. However, it still needs to pass the Senate, where its fate is less certain.
Reasons Behind the Ban
Proponents of the ban argue that TikTok poses a national security threat, potentially allowing the Chinese government to access US user data for nefarious purposes like surveillance, data collection, election interference, and spreading propaganda. There are concerns that ByteDance, as a Chinese company, could be compelled to hand over data to the Chinese Communist Party.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations have tried to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok, but the company has thus far refused. TikTok claims it has taken steps to secure US user data on servers located in the United States, which it argues, exemplifies this data from the surveillance policies of the CCP. This is a key differentiating point in the arguments for and against the bill.
Likelihood of Passing the Senate
While the bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support, its path in the Senate is unclear. Bills often stall and die in the Senate due to its rules and procedures that allow a minority of Senators to block legislation.
There is bipartisan concern over TikTok's Chinese ownership and the national security implications. If public pressure mounts and more Senators get on board, the bill has a chance of passing, especially with the White House's backing. But it will likely face challenges and amendments in the Senate that could water it down or stall it completely.
Potential Impact of a Ban
If a nationwide TikTok ban does go into effect, it would be a significant blow to over 100 million Americans who use the app, especially younger demographics. While individual users likely wouldn't face penalties, the app would be removed from US app stores.
In the event of a ban passing, US TikTok users may become unable to access their accounts or content.
This would significantly impact influencers and content creators who have built careers on the platform. Many small businesses that use TikTok for marketing would also suffer. Users may migrate to alternative short-form video apps, with YouTube and Instagram likely benefiting.
Opposing Views
Some civil liberties groups argue the ban would infringe on free speech rights. TikTok has already filed a lawsuit challenging a more limited ban in Montana. If a nationwide ban passes, legal challenges could tie it up in the courts, potentially reaching the Supreme Court.
While both Democrats and Republicans have expressed support for reining in TikTok, some oppose an outright ban as going too far. They argue it would unfairly punish the app for the sins of the Chinese government and that a ban would set a concerning precedent of government overreach into the social media sphere.
Many young people who make up TikTok's core user base are against a ban. A Pew survey found only 29% of adults under 30 support a TikTok ban, the lowest of any age group. Half of teens oppose a ban, far more than the 18% who support it.
My take
The push to ban TikTok still faces significant political and legal obstacles, but it has momentum, and its proponents aren’t backing down yet. There are legitimate concerns over its Chinese ownership, but critics argue a ban is an overreaction that would mainly hurt young users and influencers.
As a former sometimes-user of TikTok, I'm a bit torn. I have enjoyed the app at times but I also see it as a potential attack surface for the CCP to gain control over the US’s zeitgeist. And some of the nonsensical “hurt yourself on camera for the approval of strangers” type trends just strike me as chinese psy-op type shit.
It would be nice if we could reach a truly diplomatic compromise, to allow TikTok to operate independently in the US under stronger data privacy rules and oversight. But if the best we can do is to have TikTok users just migrate to YouTUbe Shorts, I also don’t see a huge amount of problems with that. Except for y’know, the whole platform monopolization thing, but that’s another story.
Bottom line
do I think it’s going to happen? My gut says it goes into a coma in the senate, because loads of bills do that. But this one being an authoritarian overreach makes me wonder if that’ll garner it more unwavering bipartisan support. Either way Biden said he would sign it so it’s kind of up to the senate.