Big news for TikTok users in the USA! Just like what happened in India, where TikTok got banned, it might happen in the USA too. In June 2020, India banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps. The Indian government, specifically the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), took this step because they were worried about country’s security.
One of the main reasons for the TikTok Ban was the fear that these apps could put people’s personal information at risk, threatening their privacy.
And it looks that the history is being repeated. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass a law that says TikTok must be sold by its Chinese owner, ByteDance. If it doesn’t happen, TikTok Ban will be the only alternative to USA.
So, why is this happening? It’s mainly because of concerns about the personal data that TikTok gathers from its users. Because ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is located in Beijing, (China) authorities in the United States are worried that this data could pose a risk to national security.
Cybersecurity experts believe that while selling TikTok could be a step toward addressing these concerns, it wouldn’t entirely solve the issue.
One expert, Ivan Tsarynny, explains that selling TikTok could help address the problem of American users’ data being accessible to Chinese authorities. However, even with a new owner, there’s still a risk of user data being unlawfully transferred to the Chinese government.
Tsarynny emphasizes the importance of ensuring that anyone with access to TikTok’s data is using it for legitimate purposes and not for any covert operations.
If ByteDance decides to sell TikTok, in the long run, it could also reduce concerns about China’s influence, making it less of a threat to American interests, states Tsarynny.
But it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Selling TikTok could be tricky because it might be expensive. Any company wanting to buy TikTok needs to have a lot of money and resources. They also need to have a clear reason for buying TikTok without breaking laws about competition and buying other companies. Because of these challenges, there’s a possibility that a deal to sell TikTok might not happen.
The government of US is thinking about making a new law. According to sources, this law says that if ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, doesn’t sell TikTok, then TikTok might not be allowed on app stores in the United States anymore.
US President Biden wants to approve this law if it gets accepted by the Senate. But it’s not sure if they can really stop TikTok from being used everywhere in the country. Before, when people tried to stop TikTok, they had problems with the law and worries about people’s right to free speech.
As of January 2024, TikTok, a popular social media platform, has surpassed 1.1 billion users worldwide. Experts predict that this number could reach 2 billion by the end of the same year. In the United States alone, there are nearly 150 million people using TikTok every month, making it the country with the highest number of users.
TikTok’s financial success is also notable. In 2023, it generated approximately $14.3 billion in revenue, marking a significant 52% increase compared to the previous year. As of March 2024, the platform is valued at $50 billion, while its parent company, ByteDance, holds a valuation of $275 billion. These numbers indicate the immense growth and impact of TikTok in the social media landscape.
