Is it tick-tock on TikTok?

For years now, the government has been saying that they are working on banning TikTok. The app, which so many of us aimlessly scroll on for hours, could be coming to an end. But why are they even considering banning the app that was popularized during the pandemic?

The Biden administration is worried that this foreign tech could be a threat to the nation’s security. The argument for banning the app is pretty straightforward if you think about it. TikTok is owned by a foreign company — specifically a Chinese company — and that company could be forced to obey whatever the Chinese government tells it to do. The U.S. concern is that the Chinese government could order ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to hand over its user data, which could be a national security threat.

Therefore, Congress has been pushing the RESTRICT Act. According to Politico, the bill would “give the Commerce Department and White House sweeping new powers to ban or restrict a wide range of communications and technology products coming from China.”

Although a bill is not a law, actions are being taken place in the United States government to restrain citizens’ usage.

Because of differences in timelines between the White House and Congress, as well as the U.S. governments use of checks and balances, there are a handful of possibilities for what might happen to TikTok. Here are six possible scenarios that could happen.

• First, Congress votes for the RESTRICT Act. Already a quarter of the Senate is backing this bill, and if it were to also pass through the House it could be less than a year for the ban to become a reality.
• Second, if Congress can’t agree, Biden can still ban it. The federal board, the Committee on Foreign Investment, has so far privately demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell their stakes according to the Wall Street Journal. During former President Trump’s reign, he threatened to take action by executive order, but this comes with a lot of legal and political work, which Trump failed to do in 2020. Now, however, Biden can pick it up and create an executive order forcing its ban.
• The third way would be that nothing really happens, or President Biden only does something small, and the issue fades away. This option would be the most ideal for those of us that are still using and enjoying TikTok.
• A fourth option, similar to what happened in 2020, would be a judge siding with users and blocking such restrictions. When the Trump administration tried to ban the app, two federal judges said the administration has “overstepped its legal authority.” A similar thing could happen this time around.
• A fifth possible outcome is that the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could sell it to an U.S. company. This would be the easiest option, as it would avoid all legal and political fights over the ban. China is doing whatever it takes to block this plan though.
• Lastly, Congress could create a national privacy law that would be applied to all apps. Despite the modern debate on whether apps are stealing our data, there is no legal enforcement of data privacy on the internet. If passed, it could make TikTok similar to other apps such as Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

What’s actually happening now?

On Feb. 27 the White House told all federal agencies to delete the app from government devices. Other countries, such as Canada, France and New Zealand, have also demanded this.

On March 23, the chief executive of TikTok, Shou Chew, was questioned before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. For nearly five hours, he was ordered to talk about the relationship TikTok has with its parent company. As like most other CEOs who testify before Congress, Chew didn’t give many answers.

Like stated before, there are six possible things that could happen in the upcoming months, but, none of them are necessarily easy. A bill or action like this would have many roadblocks, legally and socially. Many argue that it is not legal under the First Amendment of free speech. Moreover, in a democratic government, nothing can be banned without heavy proof of harm.

But, if this bill is passed, how will it even be implemented? Would private internets have to restrict the app? Would VPNs still work?

There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to this topic. Whether our data is even unsafe is also a major variability. Let us know what you think about the potential ban by tweeting us @VALLEYmag.

Related