[The clock is ticking down on TikTok in America as a law that requires the social media platform to find a new, non-Chinese owner or face a ban is set to go into effect on Sunday.
The law, which was passed with bipartisan support, requires TikTok to be sold to a new, non-Chinese owner or be banned in the United States. The clock is ticking as the Biden administration has announced that it does not plan to intervene, and the new President, Donald Trump, has expressed his willingness to save the app.
However, there are many unknowns about what will happen next. Will TikTok shut itself off entirely in the United States? Will the app be removed from the Apple and Google app stores? Will the new President, Trump, intervene and try to save the app?
One report suggests that TikTok may shut itself off entirely in the United States, while another reports that the company is preparing to direct users to an informational page about the ban. The app has also been downloaded by 170 million Americans, who use it to find entertainment, news, and community, or even run a business.
The central allegation against TikTok is that it poses a potential national security risk, as the Chinese government could pressure the company to hand over the personal information of its US users, which could then be used for Chinese intelligence operations or the spreading of Chinese-backed disinformation. However, there is no evidence that this has actually happened.
The ban has been widely supported across both sides of the aisle, with the US House of Representatives approving the bill with a bipartisan vote of 360-58. The bill was then fast-tracked through the Senate, and the Biden administration ordered all executive branch employees to remove TikTok from their phones within 30 days in February 2023.
It remains to be seen what will happen when the ban takes effect on Sunday, but one thing is certain: the future of TikTok in the United States is uncertain.
Source link