Bea Beltran Tech 12.13.2022 22:Dec PM EST

TikTok May Be Banned in the US Due to Congress Bill

The US government has been wary of possible security risks that TikTok could bring. It seems that restricting government devices from accessing the app does not cut it anymore, and they want to ban the app altogether.

Is This the End of TikTok in the US?

The ban is still in its early stages, but it's not to be dismissed so easily. TikTok has been in the crosshairs of the US government for years, and the bill might just have enough pull to be implemented.

The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act (Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party) aims to shut down apps that are associated with or influenced by certain countries.

The bill is meant to protect American user data from Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and most importantly, China. To make sure of this, they plan to take action by blocking transactions from social media that fall under the category.

Former President Trump ordered the ban of TikTok downloads. President Joe Biden revoked the order, as mentioned in Engadget. It's not likely that President Biden will dismiss the revocation, but it's still a possibility.

Senator Marco Rubio expressed that the federal government hasn't taken meaningful action to protect American citizens from the app's risks. He added that there was no more time for negotiations and that it was time to ban the Beijing-controlled app for good.

TikTok's Response

TikTok has been trying to assure the government that they are not passing US user data along to the Chinese government. The company even uses Oracle Cloud servers to store US user traffic just to avoid further issues with private user data.

Hilary McQuaide, a spokesperson from TikTok, mentioned that it was troubling that Congress opted for a politically-motivated ban for the app instead of concluding the national security review of TikTok. She also mentioned that it wouldn't help with national security.

She mentioned that the company would inform the Congress of the plans being developed under the oversight of security agencies, as well as the plans that will be implemented. These measures are being taken to secure the company's platform in the US, as mentioned in Edition.

Trouble for Influencers

TikTok is a gold mine for influencers, and more are surfacing as it provides creative freedom all while they make a living out of it. A lot of known content creators come from the US, and the potential ban could take away their main source of income.

The short-form video platform has made a significant mark in pop culture, and this has been used not only by creatives but by advertisers as well. It has a wide audience considering that TikTok has about 80 million active users per month, according to Wallaroo.

An average user would spend around 1.5 hours as they open the app eight times a day. Around $500 million in revenue is generated in the US alone, which is a big amount enough to make an impact economically.