Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, you name it: social media is all over the place, with billions of users across the world. Among these platforms, TikTok stands out as a video-sharing app owned by the Chinese-based company ByteDance. First released in September 2016, it has been used worldwide with over 4.5 billion downloads. In 2023 alone, TikTok generated $16 billion in revenue from the U.S. market, and North America accounts for about 15% (192 million) of TikTok’s total user base.
During the 2024 U.S. presidential election, candidates used social media campaigns on TikTok to target and gain support from younger voters. Most famously, Kamala Harris’s quote “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” became a subject of social media memes. For instance, among likely voters under 30, Harris, who recently rebranded her TikTok account for the presidential campaign, led Donald Trump by 17%. Furthermore, a national survey conducted by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School revealed that 53% of young adults came across memes related to Harris, with 34% reporting that these posts positively impacted their views.
Because of its algorithm, TikTok offers a highly personalized feed or content to which users are exposed. However, the algorithm is fueled by extensively collected data compared to other social media platforms. This includes the user’s personal information, such as location, device, etc. Moreover, the Biden Administration and the U.S. intelligence community were concerned that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data about 170 million U.S. users and boost content favorable to their interest or propaganda, leading to privacy violations.
Despite its popularity, in response to these concerns, President Joe Biden signed a bill banning TikTok if the company doesn’t sell off the platform on April 24th. That means U.S. users cannot install new updates over time, making the app unusable. Moreover, the ban will impact many, involving nearly 5 million businesses that have used it to start and grow their companies.
Previous attempts to ban TikTok, including one by President Donald Trump in 2020, were met with legal challenges and failed based on the reasoning that it went against the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects free speech. The current legislation gives ByteDance a nine-month window to sell TikTok, with possible extensions depending on progress made toward a sale. This means the earliest any ban can take effect will be January 2025. However, the U.S. isn’t the sole country with privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Already, multiple countries, such as Australia, Canada, and India, have banned the use of TikTok on government-issued devices or nationally. Particularly, India is a successful example of banning social media and shutting out about 200 million users –– the most outside China at the time. According to a national poll, only 32% of Americans support the ban on TikTok, which is a decrease from 50% in March 2023. The same survey showed that 31% of Americans believed a ban was somewhat likely, while 19% weren’t sure if it would be banned.
Similarly, TikTok had filed lawsuits against the government, claiming the move was “unconstitutional” or abridged the U.S. right to free speech. The company has argued that the deadline for selling the app proposed in the legislation is unfeasible.
Although there are ‘workarounds,’ like VPNs, it is expected that if TikTok is banned, users will most likely migrate to other social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube which have similar functionality and content. Additionally, the ban may lead to financial consequences and geopolitical tensions. As ByteDance is based in China, Beijing has stated that it is against the export of technology that is TikTok’s algorithm. Instead, China is likely to take political action to prohibit the sale of TikTok.
In summary, despite its widespread use and impact, the ban of TikTok remains an ongoing debate between those emphasizing the importance of the right to free speech and those with concerns about data collection and privacy on the Chinese-based app. Also, the platform’s future remains unclear, with court hearings and opposition from the Chinese government stating that it is against the app’s sale lasting until the final deadline. The outcome will not only shape the impact of social media but may also set precedents for how governments regulate foreign-owned apps globally.
