A TikTok Ban Is Complicated

Banning TikTok in the U.S. sounds easier than it is in reality, because many American interests are also attached to the Chinese platform.

Banning TikTok — it’s just complicated. The House of Representatives in Washington voted again in favor of the bill, which had already been approved in March, which would mandate a change in ownership for the beloved video clip app. If, in a year from now, the app still belongs to the current owner, the Beijing-based technology company ByteDance, TikTok would be banned from app stores in the U.S.

It sounds like a good idea because the platform has access to user data, and data privacy is becoming increasingly important in our global-digital age.

In order to get the bill passed more easily, it has been bundled with other measures such as aid for Ukraine. But even if the Senate passes it, the president and the courts could stop it.*

ByteDance may be a company founded in China, but it is mostly in the hands of Western inventors. With 170 million users in the U.S. alone, a ban there would cause painful losses.

The whole thing also smells like economic warfare. TikTok is from China, whereas other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are American. Finally, President Joe Biden, who already has his own TikTok account, needs the support of young voters.

And, still, it doesn’t all have to be for nothing. One hopes that just the threat of a ban can motivate better protection of user data.

Editor’s note: The Senate approved the measure on April 23; Biden plans to sign the bill into law on April 23.