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Is a TikTok ban coming to the US?

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A proposed ban on TikTok is making the rounds in Congress, garnering support from young people and policymakers alike.  ‘If they pass it, I’ll sign it,’ said President Joe Biden on Friday. But what exactly does the ban entail?  

From the moment TikTok rose to widespread popularity, US government officials have worried about the risk the app poses to data security.

As a result, a potential ban on the Chinese-owned platform has been frequently discussed over the last few years. Now, a fresh vote in Congress suggests that may finally happen.

Those backing a potential ban on the platform are concerned that the app collects user data to spy on American citizens. This is because TikTok is controlled by a company called ByteDance, which policymakers say is controlled by Chinese authorities.

Announcing the bill’s proposal, Republican Representative Mike Gallagher said, ‘America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States.’

Policymakers describe the app as ‘Communist Party malware,’ which could be used to manipulate U.S. public opinion. For this reason, lawmakers are debating a measure to force ByteDance to divest in the platform by September 30th – or face a nationwide ban in the USA.

What happens if TikTok gets banned?

The road to banning TikTok will be a difficult one, legally speaking.

That’s because US Congress cannot ban a social media platform unless it can prove that it poses legitimate threats to privacy and national security. It also has to prove that eliminating these risks would be impossible using any other method.

This will be tough to prove in court, as it will require substantial evidence that the Chinese government has pulled sensitive user data from TikTok. Occasional evidence has emerged from employees of ByteDance themselves, but Congress has not put forward any of its own examples yet.

Regardless, a large majority of key players are in support of the bill – even former US President Donald Trump has changed his tone.

Despite having attempted to ban the platform back in 2020, Trump U-turned on his views, stating it would give unfair advantages to Meta and proceeded to label Facebook as ‘an enemy of the people’.

But many would argue that TikTok is an enemy of most people, despite how much it entertains us.

Gen Z spends as many as 12.4 hours on the Chinese platform every week. It soared to popularity during the lockdowns of 2020 as a welcome source of distraction from the global chaos that was ensuing due to the pandemic.

Nowadays, young people report feelings of anxiety, depression, and negative self-image after using TikTok. In an interesting twist, those who feel they have an unhealthy relationship with the platform have even pleaded with Congress members to approve the ban.

Could the bill flop?

Possibly.

Those against a ban bill say that it would be a serious violation of America’s First Amendment, specifically their constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Of course, it doesn’t help that TikTok is used by thousands of businesses, artists, and content creators across America. The loss of the platform would likely damage these businesses by denying 170 million American users access to the app.

When lawmakers in the state of Montana attempted to ban TikTok, a federal judge blocked the proposal. A similar situation happened when Donald Trump tried to ban it twice during his presidency.

Faced with these obstacles, lawmakers could establish stronger legislation around digital privacy. These would likely be welcome, as decades have passed with loose legal measures in place to deal with data scraping and digital privacy breaches by large companies and independent criminals.

We’ll have to see what happens when the vote reaches the House this week.

Senior Writer & Media Coordinator London, UK

I’m Jessica (She/Her). Originally from Bermuda, I moved to London to get a Master’s degree in Media & Communications and now write for Thred to spread the word about positive social change, specifically ocean health and marine conservation. You can also find me dipping my toes into other subjects like pop culture, health, wellness, style, and beauty.  Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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