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Everything you need to know about the TikTok ban

Writer's picture: Sophie SeifertSophie Seifert
Art by Jarisse Nabung
Art by Jarisse Nabung

Tik Tok is a social media platform that allows users to connect with their friends and celebrities through short videos shared across feeds. Almost everyone knows this, because almost everyone has TikTok - for now. On January 19th, a proposed TikTok ban could officially take place. But why is this happening, what can we do about it, and how would it affect us?  


Right now, the Chinese company “ByteDance” currently owns TikTok. Their first success came with an  app called “Douyin,” which is essentially identical to its American counterpart. Douyin became popular back in 2016, with the app gaining 100 million users after only a year. Seeing this success, ByteDance purchased an app called “Music.ly” and rebranded it into the platform we all know and love today. With over a billion active users, and 170 million of those residing in the United States, TikTok’s success is irrefutable. 


Why is Douyin separated from TikTok? Through our app, we can search for accounts created all over the world - except for Douyin accounts, and vice versa. In fact, TikTok is completely banned in China, and Douyin is only available in Mandarin to prevent foreign users. Compared to the app available here, which boasts more than 75 languages, the difference is shocking. Crazily enough, over 90% of ByteDance’s profit comes from Douyin, with only a fraction of their money being harvested through TikTok. Considering that Zhang Yiming, ByteDance’s Ceo, has a net worth of 45.6 billion dollars, you can understand the extent Douyin’s success. 


Monetary impact aside, political motives may be present in the app.  “Douyin has become a crucial platform for the Chinese authorities to disseminate information and propaganda,” says journalist Claire Fu. In 2018, the app partnered up with 11 government departments to disperse information and spread messages. A Chinese journalist wrote that the social platform was “a new space and a new position for ideological competition between us and the enemies.” The app adheres to the rules of the Chinese Communist Party and removes videos deemed controversial. While TikTok in the US has relatively loose guidelines, in China they are more politically conscious.


So what does this have to do with TikTok being a “security threat?” In a nutshell, it’s because of ByteDance’s relationship to their government. The company has an allegiance to their country and is required to "do whatever the Chinese government wants them to in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government,” to quote this Reuters article. 


It’s a concern that the Chinese government could use TikTok to influence us or collect data that we don’t want them to have through their algorithm. They own 1% of ByteDance in “Douyin Information Service;” which could legally give them access to documentations and knowledge about our country and American TikTok users. Our government is concerned about the effect this could have on us as both individual people and as a country. In a bill that provided aid to foreign nations, a measure about this was included, outlining that ByteDance must sell its stake of TikTok here within a year or else it would be shut down. Since no progress towards that has been made, a bill set to pass on January 19th officially bans TikTok in the United States. A full document, titled “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” can be found here, and it goes over the reasoning behind the ban.  (Keep in mind that the bill would only come into effect if TikTok is not completely severed from Chinese relations.)


So, with that in mind, could a mysterious billionaire purchase the platform and save us all from losing the beloved beautiful app? The short answer is… probably not. While ByteDance can legally sell someone the platform, the real question is whether they would want to. And right now, it looks like they don’t. Although some entrepreneurs are eyeing it, (such as Elon Musk and Frank McCourt,) the company is still refusing offers. (Remember that ByteDance is a multi-billion dollar company whose main success comes solely from China. Why would they even need to sell their American stakes?)  What makes the exchange more interesting, though, is the “algorithm” of the platform that would likely not be included in a business deal. As many TikTok users know, the app is catered to our interests; share a puppy video, and the next day, your FYP will be filled with cute animals. That's simply what makes it so enticing. If ByteDance were to sell TikTok, they would do so without the algorithm. This would mean that our for you page wouldn’t be catered to our interests the same way it is now. With a different interface, the platform would lose what makes it so alluring. 


Is there anything that can stop the ban from happening? On January 15th, the TikTok Deadline Act was proposed. Through this legislation, ByteDance would be given an additional 270 days to sell the rights to TikTok in the US. While this idea was very popular among the platform’s users, it didn’t gain traction with government officials. Another claim was that the ban went against the first amendment by “violating free speech protections.” Once again, this fell through, and with only two days before the 19th, it looks like we’ll have to say goodbye to the app for real. The last hope for it to be saved falls on Donald Trump; the Biden administration is passing the official approval of the bill onto the president elect. When power changes hands, we’ll know whether Trump plans to keep the bill or discard it. 


While the logistics are interesting, the harsher outcomes would come from the way it affects TikTok users. The US government confirmed that staff working on the app's interface would remain employed; their jobs would simply benefit the platform internationally. But while some everyday people are trying to find loopholes to the ban, (instating VPNs or changing their location,) the fact is, we’re going to have to adjust to a TikTok less lifestyle. Influencers are trying to maintain their followers on alternative apps. Musicians need new ways to reach an audience. Even typical people, who have made money through the app to support family or endeavors, need new ways to do so. While the surface level sadness is understandable, we may come to learn that taking away TikTok could have setbacks that affect the whole country. 

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DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER WHAT THE ISSUE IS? YOU JUST TRYNA' FIND WHERE THE TISSUE IS YOU CAN STILL BE WHO YOU WISH YOU IS IT AIN'T HAPPEN YET AND THAT'S WHAT INTUITION IS


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