Is TikTok Actually Being Banned? Here's What You Need to Know

The battle surrounding the world’s, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, has escalated to another stage when House of Representatives voted to an act that would proclaimed the banning the social network nationwide.

This is in spite of opposition from former President Donald Trump who had earlier supported the ban idea but seems to have backed off from his position recently.

If the bill passes, TikTok will be banned from appearing for download in U.S. App stores until it becomes separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

Having passed the House vote by a huge margin and supported by both Republicans and Democrats, the spotlight lies with the Senate to decide the direction the legislation will take.

Why Could TikTok Be Banned?

The bill has been received positively and negatively by different parties such as the lawmakers, tech giants, and the Chinese government.

Supporters of the bill claim that TikTok constitutes a national security threat because of its Chinese ownership, which would give the Chinese government the ability to get personal data of American app users.

They consider the suggested ban to be a reasonable step aimed at ensuring the protection of American interests.

By contrast, enemies of the law look at it as disrespect for free speech and a fate to millions of TikTok’s American users. They also contend that TikTok has already been assimilated into the daily lives of many people and as such should not be banned without confirming national security issues.

Votes For and Against the Ban

The voting was a closely contested process with both sides lobbying on the floor of Congress. In the last, the House passed the bill by 352 votes to 65, including 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans, who were against the bill.

The bill was able to pass in the House due to the bipartisan support that it received as the Democrats and Republicans were able to unite.

Because Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not pledged to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, however, the bill’s fate in the Senate is uncertain.

The move to pass the legislation was first resisted by the former president who was a strong advocate for banning TikTok.

But in the recent weeks, Trump’s position on the issue has become more flexible, and he starts to question the need of the ban.

Trump shared on his Truth Social social media site that TikTok ban was no more needed and Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg were the true enemies of the people. He argued that banning TikTok would in essence empower Facebook and, hence, TikTok should be allowed to operate in the US.

Trump’s seeming U-turn brought additional complexity to a highly divisive topic. The proponents of the bill claim that it is not a prohibition but a national security initiative.

They argue that under the measure, TikTok will have only five months to divest its US operations and that if it fails to do so, the application will not be available for downloads from US application stores.

This strategy does not eliminate the possibility of TikTok staying in the US under a new ownership model and guarantees that its millions of American users will be able to enjoy its services.

An Issue of Freedom of Speech

TikTok was the one that criticized the bill, calling it a ban that would harm freedom of speech and the livelihoods of its creators, being just some of the reasons why tiktok should not be banned. The company through the app has launched a call to action campaign and calls on the users to contact their respective congressional representatives and reject the bill.

The campaign has been a success; many congressional offices are overwhelmed with calls from panicked TikTok users.

The campaign has made TikTok to be attacked by the legislators who say that the company distorts the bill. They say that the law isn’t banning and TikTok isn’t supposed to spread wrong information to millions of its users.

TikTok contests have also increased enmity between the US and China. The Chinese government has accused the US of intimidating TikTok and therefore endangering the interests of its numerous users.

A spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of China announced that the bill violated the principles of fair competition and international trade rules and the Chinese government will take appropriate measures to safeguard the interests of its companies. This rhetoric corresponds to the persistent clashes between the USA and China, most of which are tech competitive.

U.S. vs China

Even though the spotlight is put on the looming ban of TikTok, the real question in this matter is the enduring tech rivalry between the US and China. This competition has toughened in the last several years as both nations try to gain dominance in the world high technology market.

The Chinese government has had massive investment into the tech sector, and the enterprises from the country have presented success all over the world, such as ByteDance.

However, this prosperity leads to the suspicion and control from Western governments, which fear that Chinese tech companies could be employed by the Chinese government and can be a national security risk.

The TikTok draws attention to this rivalry, while the house bill is an example of how the US government is worried about Chinese owned tech companies.

However, this competition also has some big economic side. TikTok is also expected to have approximately 170 million users in the US and should the app be banned, the largest effect will be felt on the US economy and the living of its users.

In addition, the app has become a major channel for small businesses and artists who used it to market their products and reach a big audience. TikTok ban would have economic and job market down trend spiral effect even in the already fragile situation created by the COVID-19.

WIll TikTok Be Banned?

The approval of the bill in the House is a powerful signal for TikTok and its owner ByteDance that US government is serious in relation to its concerns about the application posing a national security threat.

Nevertheless, the last word if TikTok is going to be banned in the USA belongs to the Senate.

So far, the bill has not reached the Senate floor for consideration and it fate remains unknown. The fact that Senate Majority Leader Schumer announced that they will take a look at the bill after it gets over from the House shows that there is a possibility of some reluctance in the Senate to proceed with the bill.

Meanwhile, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, has been actively holding meetings with Congress members to discuss the bill and to reach an agreement that would allow the application to continue working in the US under a different ownership structure.

The company also wrote to various House lawmakers, claiming that they have distorted the bill and trying to make them see the possible impact of the ban of millions of users and businesses.

But the company’s activities will be useless if the Senate decides for the proceeding of the bill as the bipartisan support given in the House is a sign of support in the Senate too.

The Fate of TikTok

Conclusively, the war for TikTok is still on and the final result is not clear. The House’s passage of the bill speaks volumes to the app and its owner that the US government views national security risks in their activities.

The fate of TikTok to stay in the US or face a nationwide disabled will be determined by the response of the Senate to the bill.

The issue also highlights the technological tug-of-war between the USA and China and the economic implications in blocking the most popular app. Only time will tell how the situation will unfold, but one thing is certain: the result will carry a lot of weight for the tech sector and US-China ties.