2 reasons the US wants to ban TikTok unveiled

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Information & Communication Technology | Social Media Platform | TikTok | US House of Representatives and Senate | National Security | China

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2 Reasons US wants to ban TikTok unveiled

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The US House of Representatives and Senate have perceived TikTok operations in the US as a threat to national security.

The US government is willing to ban TikTok, one of the most popular apps in the US and the world (more than 100 million and one billion users respectively), and mandate its removal from citizens’ smartphones, in one of our latest social media technology blog news posts.

Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much these days but have joined forces to unveil bipartisan legislation that would ban TikTok across the US. Representatives on both sides of the political divide in the House of Representatives and Senate have spoken out against what they perceive as a threat to national security. Governors in Texas, Maryland, South Dakota, and South Carolina ordered state agencies to ban TikTok on government-issued devices.

The 2 reasons US wants to ban TikTok

The 2 reasons US wants to ban TikTok are:

1. TikTok is perceived as a threat to national security in the US

One of the reasons the US government wants to ban TikTok ban across the country is because of national security concerns. TikTok is now perceived as a threat to national security in the US.

Representatives on both sides of the political divide in the House of Representatives and Senate have spoken out against what they perceive as a threat to the national security of the US citizens.

Since the end of the midterms, the anti-TikTok rhetoric has picked up, with FBI director Chris Wray warning that TikTok’s US operations raise national security concerns.

It would put TikTok in line for an outright ban, a nuclear option attempted by former president Donald Trump over alleged links to the Chinese government.

The big question then arises. Would politicians really be willing to mandate its removal from their citizens’ smartphones?

2, TikTok is under the influence of China

The other reason the US government wants to ban TikTok ban across the country is not just because of national security concerns, but the security concern that the social media IT company is based in and operates under the influence of China. The US government intends to block “any social media company in, or under the influence of” China and other hostile foreign countries, they have strained relationships with, including Russia.

TikTok is a video-sharing media platform. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, China.

What are those ‘national security concerns’?

Earlier this month, the state of Indiana launched a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging deception of its users about China’s access to their data.

And governors in Texas, Maryland, South Dakota, and South Carolina ordered state agencies to ban TikTok on government-issued devices.

Dr. Lawrence said regulation on federal devices is “not a bad thing” given concerns around foreign interference in American elections, “but whether you could do that for the public is another question”.

How does the US government intend to impose the ban?

How does the US intend to impose the ban? Blocking “any social media company in, or under the influence of” China and other hostile foreign countries, including Russia from rendering such services to and in the US and removing the app from the citizens’ mobile phones is at present the step the US government would likely take in banning the social media giant.

Under the measure announced by Mr. Rubio, President Joe Biden could impose sanctions on TikTok and other social media companies to prevent commercial operations in the US.

According to the latest social media news report, it would put TikTok in line for an outright ban, a nuclear option attempted by former president Donald Trump over alleged links to the Chinese government.

Could an old Trump idea make a comeback? Towards the end of his presidency, Mr. Donald Trump suggested that ByteDance sell off its American operations to a US company like Microsoft.

While Mr. Biden withdrew his predecessor’s order, he demanded a government review of foreign-owned apps, which remains ongoing more than a year later.

With the current outcry of the US government over national security concerns, would the US former President, Mr. Trump’s proposed sell-off now be the most likely outcome?

Could it be legislation to have a regulatory renegotiation?

Could the US government threat be a strategy for regulatory renegotiation with the Chinese-owned IT giant?

Dr. Evan Lawrence, senior lecturer in international relations, at the University of Central Lancashire, doubts the legislation would get that far and related it to likely negotiation tactics.

The US government has been in talks with TikTok’s parent company about regulation for some time, with a spokesperson saying they were “confident” it can “fully satisfy all reasonable US national security concerns”.

What has TikTok had to say?

TikTok has continued to dismiss the concerns, insisting its US operation is independent of its parent company and American user data is safe.

A spokesperson described Mr. Rubio’s legislation as a “politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States”.

The social media blog post was captioned: ”TikTok: Would the US really ban one of the world’s most popular apps owned by China?”

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