Summary
- US legislators are pressuring ByteDance to sell TikTok due to concerns about Chinese government access to user data.
- A bill passed in the House aims to sever ties between ByteDance and TikTok, citing national security risks. The bill still has to pass the Senate, but President Biden has already said he will sign it into law if it makes it to his desk.
- Despite legal threats, TikTok may be expanding with new features like an Instagram-like image-sharing platform.
TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, is one of the most popular social media apps in the US. Some statistics indicate that as many as 170 million people in the US use the video platform, but it isn’t without concern. For example, nearly one-quarter of daily TikTok users worry that the Chinese government is actually gaining access to their personal information. Now, US legislators are voicing similar concerns, and they are taking action. The US House has voted in favor of ByteDance selling TikTok, and the app could be banned altogether if the company does not comply.
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A bill has officially been passed by a vote of 352-65 in the House that now pressures ByteDance to give up its ownership of TikTok (via The New York Times). It will move onto the Senate floor with the ultimate goal of severing ties between the two entities, assuming it passes — and US President Joe Biden has already said that he will sign off on the measure if it does.
Legislators claim that ByteDance’s association with the Chinese government means user data could be accessed by foreign adversaries at any given time. This poses a national security risk, but not everyone is on board with the bill. Some who oppose the potential TikTok ban believe it could hinder the business success of entrepreneurs on the platform. Others claim that a full ban may not be necessary if TikTok is willing to issue warnings about such privacy concerns.
Despite such threats that could dampen its success in the US, TikTok does not seem to be slowing down in terms of expansion. Code sleuths have detected changes in a recent version of the app that suggest a new TikTok variation could be on the way. Some speculate that an Instagram-like image-sharing platform could be on the way, ushering in a new form of TikTok based on still photographs. There has been no word on whether or not these rumors are true, however. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be surprising if these legal matters impacted the launch of such an app in the near future.
