The fear of no longer being able to fulfill your daily TikTok habit is real. ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the social media app, has been a concern politically in the U.S. since shortly after it became well known. The United States president has now signed a bill that will force the sale of TikTok.
The Trouble with TikTok
The problem is that ByteDance has become a political enemy. U.S. lawmakers are worried that if it continues to have access to so many U.S. accounts, that it could cause a national security issue. Fear increased more recently because of the Israel-Hamas war.
TikTok has always refuted these claims and has said it does not and would not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government. It also said on Wednesday that it has invested billions of dollars to keep the data safe.
There have already been smaller TikTok bans in effect. Government employees are not allowed to load the TikTok app on their phones, yet some still use TikTok anyway, just loading it on their personal phones. The state of Montana banned TikTok, but a federal judge ruled that it’s likely a First Amendment violation, so the ban hasn’t gone into effect yet.
Good to know: if you’ve had enough and just want out now, check out these TikTok alternatives.
President Signs Bill
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill on Wednesday that will force ByteDance to put TikTok up for sale or ban it. The company has nine months to sell it, but a three-month extension could be granted.
The text of the bill says that if a buyer is not found for TikTok, it will be “unlawful for an entity to distribute, maintain or update” the app. It sounds like it will be gone from the App Store and Google Play. But China is playing the game too, as last week it asked for Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp to be removed from the App Store in China.
What Does This Mean for You?
Did you have plans tonight to do nothing but watch TikTok apps before you no longer have the option? If TikTok is banned or sold, it’s not going to happen this quickly, so you and the other 170 million U.S. users can relax – at least for a little while.
TikTok referred to the bill signing as an “unconstitutional law” and promised to challenge it in court, with a promise to “prevail.” Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew shared a TikTok, saying the app isn’t going away and that the app could still be used as usual.
If a ban goes into effect for TikTok, you could look into using a VPN. While it can make everything you do on your phone private, it will also disguise your location. But it could end up being a double whammy for the U.S., as your data could be sent to servers in another country anyway. But just in case, you may want to download any videos that you’ve posted to TikTok. If the reasons for the ban have you worried about your kids’ TikTok usage, you may want to activate the parental controls on TikTok.
Image source: Unsplash
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