It’s Official: US President Biden Signs Bill to Potentially Ban TikTok from the United States
What’s Going On?
TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps and influencer platforms in the world, beloved and ubiquitous for an entire generation of youth in a way that calls to mind the heights of popularity of such giants as Facebook or MySpace during their respective peaks, perhaps even surpassing them.
It is also viewed with suspicion for this great influence in what has been a sizeable divisive conflict online. To take action against such a rising star in such tumultuous times would mark the one against it as an aggressor in the eyes of its users. On April 24, the United States set in motion a process that may yet see TikTok banned from operating in the nation unless the app’s owner, ByteDance, meets specific criteria.
What is The TikTok Ban About?
As part of a series of bills that comprised a foreign aid package that US President Joe Biden signed, one was presented that aimed to reduce the influence of hostile foreign entities. The ‘Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA)‘ was written out of concern for belligerent or unstable powers such as the Peoples’ Republic of China and their ability to surveil citizens of the US through applications like TikTok.
Parts of the bill also extend to “website[s], desktop application[s], mobile application[s], or augmented or immersive technology application[s]” which are perceived to be under the control or influence of a “foreign adversary country”. It is unknown if other social media applications or sites who have substantial investments from such a “foreign adversary country” may need to worry about this at this present juncture. It is also unknown if this wording could apply to other services from China such as popular video games which include chat features or Chinese developed messaging applications.
What Happens To TikTok Now?
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance has Nine (9) months to divest and find an American buyer according to the law. The alternative is to have its services banned from operating in the United States. The situation seems cut and dry here, but the truth is not so simple.
ByteDance has announced its intention to challenge the statute in court and contest it before it becomes law and it aims to file its suit by this fall in the United States. Regardless of the result of that suit, the loser will have the right to review by the US Supreme Court, something which could delay any potential ban for even longer, perhaps another year.
If it is unable to prevent this, then TikTok must find an American buyer intending to continue its services stateside. Discussion has arisen as to who is truly in the running to make a serious play for TikTok’s ownership in the US so it remains anyone’s game at present.
