The lopsided vote by the House of Representatives on Wednesday to ban TikTok in the United States unless it is freed from Chinese control could soon see the hugely popular short video app consigned to the dustbin of history along with Netscape and Myspace. It suggests that there is.
However, the situation is much more complex than that.
Policymakers agree that TikTok poses unique privacy and security threats due to the Chinese government's influence over its owner, Beijing ByteDance. But the app has a strong supporter, albeit a recent convert, in former President Trump. That means Republican lawmakers, who would normally support any legislation aimed at reducing China's influence, are divided on TikTok's proposal.
Additionally, TikTok captures the attention of an estimated 150 million Americans each month, about half of whom are active users, despite concerns about privacy, misinformation, and harm to young people in this country. It has become one of the most popular apps. The potential ban has been met with fierce opposition from across the country, including from entrepreneurs, small businesses and marketers who say it would be an economic shock.
Some opponents of the ban argue that it is a violation of the First Amendment. Some wondered why TikTok was being singled out as a threat, given that many apps hide users' personal data. Others argued that the bill would only benefit US tech giant Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, and Alphabet, owner of YouTube.
We've put together a quick summary of what's happening, why, and what it means for TikTok users.
What does this bill require of TikTok?
The House-passed bill seeks to do the same thing that President Trump tried to do as president. That means taking TikTok out of the hands of Chinese companies that are subject to Chinese law. The Trump administration went so far as to ban TikTok in the United States in 2020. But that order was blocked by two federal courts, which found it overstepped the administration's authority.
ByteDance is an internet-focused venture capital-backed startup founded in China in 2012 and owns 100% of TikTok. Axios said outside investors control 60% of ByteDance, but the Chinese company retains management control.
The new bill passed by the House of Representatives would prohibit companies from distributing, maintaining, or updating “applications controlled by foreign adversaries,” or from providing Internet hosting services to companies that do so. There is. The bill defines “applications controlled by a foreign adversary” as ByteDance, TikTok, and their successors, but the president also includes “applications controlled by foreign adversaries that are controlled by persons located in a foreign adversary country.” They will be given the power to name social media and communication apps with more than 1,000 users. ”
If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law, ByteDance will have 180 days to remove Chinese control and limit Chinese investors' ownership of the company to 20%. Desired. That would likely require ByteDance to spin off TikTok into an independent company with more limited Chinese investment.
If ByteDance does not comply, the bill would require users to be able to retrieve all their data, including all information about their preferences, views, and uploads, in a format that can be transferred to another social media app. Become.
Who uses TikTok?
According to Pew Research Center, 33% of U.S. adults said they used TikTok last year. Although it is used by a huge number of people, it pales in comparison to the number of people using other major social media platforms. According to Pew, 83% of U.S. adults said they use YouTube last year, and 47% said they use Instagram.
Young people are much more likely to use TikTok than their parents, but even they use YouTube and Instagram frequently. According to Pew, 62% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they use TikTok, as do 63% of 13- to 17-year-olds.
“To me, TikTok is modern television, so anything that disrupts that really hurts people, not just the creators, because people really enjoy it.” , said Foodgod, the television personality formerly known as Jonathan Cheban.
Foodgod, who has 8.5 million followers on TikTok for his food and lifestyle videos, said he uses the social media app on his phone every hour and enjoys TikTok's more casual atmosphere. He said banning it would be “literally like going into someone's room and ripping their TV off the wall, which I think is insane.”
“But to be honest, I think TikTok is here to stay. There are too many participants and too many people who love it,” he said. “I feel like I have more freedom to do what I want on TikTok. It's different than Instagram. Everything is very structured and has to be perfect.”
Can the government really ban TikTok?
Senate passage may be the lowest hurdle remaining for banning TikTok.
ByteDance and other opponents of the bill are challenging the bill in court on First Amendment grounds, just as they successfully challenged Montana's attempt to ban the app. It is almost certain that a claim will be made. Defenders of the bill argue that it does not violate free speech rights because it targets ByteDance's conduct, not the content on the app. But critics say the bill does nothing to protect Americans from data collection by foreign interests.
Telecom industry experts say banning TikTok is technically possible, but there are challenges.
First, the bill does not remove TikTok from phones that already have it installed. However, this will prevent the company from providing updates for TikTok, and changes to your phone's operating system could make the app unusable over time.
Second, while the bill would force Google Play and Apple's App Store to stop distributing the TikTok app in the US, it would not apply to phone software providers outside the US, forcing unofficial online sites to stop distributing the TikTok app in the US. It's not easy to do. Therefore, the app and its updates will continue to be available to those willing and able to “sideload” from such sources.
That's not difficult on an Android smartphone, but it's even more difficult on an Apple iPhone, at least for now. Apple has just started allowing sideloading formats in Europe in accordance with the European Digital Markets Act.
However, there are tradeoffs to this approach, said Emma Ranso, former director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Freedom of Expression Project. Without regular privacy and security updates, the app would be an “easy target for people looking to exploit outdated software,” she said, adding: “This app creates a different kind of vulnerability and It will impact millions of people, including: There are many young people. ”
CDT reports on its website that it received more than $100,000 from TikTok in 2022. Overall, nearly 30% of that year's $9.1 million budget came from corporations, with two companies, Google and Amazon, each contributing more than $500,000.
If the government formally outlaws TikTok, network operators could block traffic between the company's servers and users in the United States. But the app's huge user base may rush to find ways to bypass any barriers, such as using virtual private networks to connect to TikTok through other countries, says New America's Wireless Future Project. Director Michael Calabrese said. “Smart Chinese people can do that, so [it] It’s going to be a lot easier here,” Calabrese said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a reality.”
What does the ban mean for content creators and small businesses?
A de facto ban means at least three things for content creators, although again, passing the bill into law is far from certain.
Established creators are cut off from the loyal audiences they have worked so hard to build. New and established creators alike will lose access to a huge global audience market. And he'll have one less outlet for creators of all stripes to bring their unique tools and sensibilities to the table.
The same may be true for the estimated 7 million small and medium-sized businesses that use TikTok to increase their sales, given the number of apps. A study conducted by software consultant Capterra last year found that small businesses said their marketing efforts received far more engagement on TikTok than on other social media networks.
According to research from Capterra, companies find social networks particularly useful in capitalizing on trends, carving out distinct niches for their brands, and educating customers about their products and services.
Certainly, there are other platforms for short videos, such as Instagram Reels and YouTube #Shorts, which make up the majority of TikTok content. Similar to TikTok, they use a secret and arcane algorithm to decide which videos to show users. The lessons creators learned on TikTok about how to generate views and build an audience may not apply elsewhere.
Anecdotes abound of people who quit their day jobs to build businesses from TikTok videos. The platform isn't just for dancers, lip-syncers, and pranksters; it's also become an important vehicle for e-commerce. This app helped him launch his TikTok shop in September and soon he was making $7 million in sales per day.
“To be honest, I'm a little negative,” said Kelsey Martinez, a 32-year-old TikTok creator from Pasadena. “I never thought something like this would actually happen. If TikTok was discontinued tomorrow, my entire life would be completely changed.”
Martinez joined the platform in 2022 and primarily posted about her weight loss journey. After expanding her videos to include fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content last summer, her TikTok account has taken off and has now grown to over 287,000 followers. . She earns a share of sales from product links included in her videos and has brand deals with skincare companies Murad and Salt & Stone, as well as Lizzo's shapewear brand Itti.
“In fact, I left my full-time job because I was able to make a living through TikTok and earn many times my annual salary. So, really, that's what it's all about.” said Martinez, who worked as the organization's human resources representative.
“This is what I do, this is my job. If that goes away, I'll definitely be hit,” she said.
Many creators say they already cross-post their TikTok videos to Instagram and other platforms (and vice versa), but the results can be dramatic and unpredictable. For TikTok creators who have not yet published their work across multiple platforms, the federal ban will take several months to go into effect.
Keep in mind that different sites have different approaches to monetizing videos and generating revenue for creators. And each platform presents different challenges when it comes to building an audience. For example, Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, encourage creators to pay to direct their content to specific types of viewers, but building an audience on TikTok is more natural. said Keris Landrum, co-founder of Los Angeles marketing agency True North Social.
TikTok influencer Ashley Dunham has been closely monitoring news of the proposed ban and has already made some adjustments to her social media strategy.
“I've started posting my own content on Instagram, and it's gotten an amazing amount of attention,” Dunham said. The post chronicles her experiences with semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic), plastic surgery, and polycystic ovary syndrome. “The only downside to Instagram is that you're always two weeks behind her on trends.”
The 33-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, called the potential ban on TikTok “a disservice not just to creators, but to Americans as a whole,” adding that the U.S.-based app similarly collects personal data from its users. He said that there is a possibility of manipulation.
What does the ban mean for parents?
Aside from national security concerns over China's access to TikTok users' personal data, the biggest complaint about the app is how well it captures the attention of young users. A Pew survey last year found that 17% of teens use TikTok most of the time, and an additional 32% say they use it several times a day.
There are other safety concerns, including the possibility that TikTok videos can fuel eating disorders and concerns that young people's videos of themselves could expose them to predators. The app's default settings attempt to address these concerns, but they can also be changed or circumvented by determined users.
Even if TikTok disappeared tomorrow, kids wouldn't be able to stop staring at their phones for hours on end. According to a Pew survey, 46% of teens say they're online almost all the time, far exceeding the percentage glued to TikTok. Additionally, 47% said their boyfriend is online several times a day.
And the complaints raised about TikTok, such as its addictive nature, reinforcement of unhealthy behaviors, and risk of predation, have been raised on other social networks as well.
