President Joe Biden has signed a bill into law that will force China-based social media giant ByteDance to sell its popular app, TikTok, in the United States. This move comes amid concerns about national security and data privacy, with the Biden administration emphasizing that the goal is not to ban TikTok but to have it operate under new American ownership.
However, experts believe that separating TikTok from ByteDance will be a challenging task, as the two companies are deeply intertwined. The close relationship between the staff at both companies, in the U.S. and China, raises concerns about access to sensitive information about American TikTok users, creators, advertisers, and public figures. Former employees have spoken out about the strong connection between ByteDance and TikTok, indicating that they are essentially one and the same entity.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew has disputed the claim that the new law is not about divestiture, calling it a ban on TikTok and the users’ voices. He has expressed confidence that TikTok will continue to fight for its rights in the courts, citing the Constitution as being on their side. The passage of this law is just the beginning of what is expected to be a lengthy legal battle over the future of TikTok in the U.S.
TikTok executives have vowed to challenge the legislation in court, arguing that it violates the First Amendment rights of the app’s 170 million American users and would have detrimental consequences for the businesses that rely on TikTok for marketing and sales. The uncertainty surrounding the potential divestiture of TikTok could complicate matters and put the U.S. back at square one in terms of finding a resolution.
There are doubts about whether a TikTok ban would achieve the desired outcome, given the challenges of divesting the U.S. operations from ByteDance without compromising the app’s core features. Experts believe that selling a TikTok without its algorithms, which are at the heart of its success, would not make economic sense and would devalue the app significantly. The situation is further complicated by the lack of a viable buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations.
TikTok users are mobilizing against the ban, with a million posts using hashtags like #tiktokban, #savetiktok, and #keeptiktok circulating on the app. Creators are leveraging their influence to rally support and challenge lawmakers, highlighting the apparent contradiction of the Biden campaign’s decision to partner with TikTok creators while pushing for a ban on the app. The future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain as the legal battle unfolds.
