TikTok could soon be banned in the US. The US House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill which could lead to the app being banned in the country. The bill will now be sent to the US Senate and then the White House for the law to be passed. The conversation around the TikTok ban has reignited in the US due to worries about national security. TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has its largest user base in the US with almost 150 million users.
Why the ban?
However, the US lawmakers say that if ByteDance decides to sell part of its ownership on TikTok, then the app might still be allowed to stay in the country. The proposed bill also says that if TikTok wants to keep running in the US, ByteDance will need to give up its special algorithm that shows users content they like based on their interests.
India banned TikTok in June 2020. At the time, the Indian government said that the Chinese social media platform was being used for collecting personal data and conducting espionage activities. Since then, several countries, including the EU, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand, UK, and Afghanistan, have also banned the short-video app.
How does this impact TikTok users?
Users in India have not been able to officially access TikTok for almost four years now. However, many still stay active and post on the app in India via VPN. The same would be the solution for TikTok users in the US, if the app is eventually banned in the country. They may have to use a virtual private network or VPN in order to bypass the restrictions. Notably, while this may be a way around, VPNs also raise the question of security.
What does TikTok have to say?
In a video message shared with the users of the app, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew encouraged users to use their voice to share their support for the platform.
“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you. We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you. We believe we can overcome this together,” he said. “I encourage you to keep sharing your stories, share them with your friends, share them with a family, share them with the senators, protect your constitutional rights, make your voices heard. Love you all,” he added.
Source Agencies
