TikTok Is Getting Banned? If So, Why and When?

The Chinese company ByteDance owned app TikTok, once the hottest social media platform, has been suffering these days. Although it had over two billion users, at the end of June, India banned TikTok after a military conflict at the border with Chinese military.

Losing one of the biggest markets is not the worst part of the story. The US is likely to follow the suit. According to CNN news, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States is “looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok. While in an interview with Fox News, he even added that “we are taking this very seriously.”

Also Read: How to Create a TikTok Video >

Is TikTok Really Getting Banned in the US?

The US politicians have been talking about “banning” TikTok. Yet, it is still unclear about how this kind of ban will be carried out. Any sort of decree ordering people not to use an app will be unconstitutional and will be boycotted by millions of people, especially the young ones.

According to the Fortune, lawyers at EFF believe that Trump’s idea on TikTok ban could be a bluff rather than a policy. Even so, White Hose may adopt other ways, for instance, barring federal workers from using this app, requiring a license for any US companies to do business with TikTok.

To sum up, we, as normal citizens, will likely be able to access TikTok. As for federal officers, not sure about it.

Why Is TikTok Banned

The Indian government said it banned TikTok and other well-known Chinese apps because they pose a “threat to sovereignty and integrity” after the clash along the Himalayan border. The US plays the information security card.

“Only download the app if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” Pompeo said when asked if he would download TikTok.

Actually, TikTok has said previously that it operates separately from ByteDance. The data center is located entirely outside of China and that none of that data is subject to Chinese law. Us user data is stored in the United States, with a backup in Singapore. And TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product and public policy in the US.

These worries are rooted in the fact that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company and it is too successful. This app has spawned a lucrative influencer culture in the US. The face you see on TikTok are American teenagers with talent agency contracts.

“TikTok is really the first Chinese app that’s actually been embedded in local culture around the world,” Dev Lewis, a stuff at Hong Kong-based research think tank Digital Asia Hub said.

The Bottom Line

That’s all for the TikTok ban. If you find this post helpful, please do share this blog with others.

Elena /

Member of PearlMountain Limited. Has a mania for video editing. Love to share photo/video shooting tips and ideas.