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The United States Supreme Court has upheld a ruling setting the stage for a ban on TikTok, citing national security concerns. As per the ruling, TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, has until Sunday this week—two days from now— to divest from the company. Failure to divest, the Chinese company could see its wildly popular app permanently banned in the United States. Essentially, app stores will not be allowed to list the app for download.
National Security Concerns About TikTok
Despite being wildly popular, American authorities have long warned that the app #TikTok poses a risk to national security. The thinking behind this notion is that TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, being a Chinese company could be arm-twisted by the PRC’s communist government to provide users’ data.
As it’s often the case, Chinese companies have long been required to provide the government with a backdoor to their systems, a move that often enforces censorship and a crackdown on dissenters.
Controversial topics such as the Tiananmen Square massacre, Taiwan, and criticism of the government is often curtailed on Chinese social media platforms, and this is believed to be effected via the company provided backdoors (to the government).
Is TikTok Harmful to Americans?
American authorities are concerned that these requirements to provide data could be used by the PRC to instigate attacks on American citizens. The PRC mining this data would not only give them personally identifiable information on American citizens but potentially, payment information, interests and likes, and political affiliation.
This could then be used to surface anti-government propaganda on the app, or even to undertake mass disinformation campaigns. On the extreme, PRC could essentially radicalize citizens on the app or even propagate depression and mental health issues by showing Americans depressing content.
For US authorities, this poses a national security concern, hence the ban. Read our article where we asked: are your secrets safe on TikTok?
What Next for TikTok Users?
A majority of TikTok users in the US have long opposed a nationwide ban on TikTok. They say that the app represents a beloved community for them and losing it will not only affect their lives but also their income.
Numerous TikTok users have acquired millions of followers over the years, built an engaged audience, and monetized. The TikTok phenomenon is only second to YouTube in terms of the earning potential for popular users on the app.
Some creators even argue that it’s not comparable, as TikTok provides numerous video creation tools and its algorithm is supportive of users.
Creators on TikTok will often have the ability to reach millions of new users—and users who’ve previously not engaged with their content.
TikTok Users Moving to Chinese App RedNote
In reaction to the possibility of the ban, numerous TikTok users have been moving—and using alongside TikTok—another Chinese app, ‘RedNote’. The app is created by the Chinese for Chinese, and American users who are using it have referred to themselves as ‘TikTok Refugees’.
For migrating users, the reception on RedNote has been warm, but experts warn that after what they call a ‘honeymoon phase’, native users of the app could end up developing hostilities against the influx of new—and mostly American— users.
Bad But Wanted
Despite warning that TikTok could pose a risk to its users, many creators on the platform have said that they do not care about that and still want—even love—the app. Analysts say that despite this—just like with tobacco and cigarettes—it is upon the authorities to do what’s good for American citizens, even if they do not want it. The US state of Montana was the first to consider a ban on TikTok.
