In recent months, the United States’ protection of its citizens’ data and national security has taken major steps forward, with a major crackdown on the popular video-sharing platform TikTok. The U.S. government has released executive action invoking a ban on the platform, citing data collection and censorship as reasons for the crackdown.
The Trump administration’s decision to move forward with the ban is due primarily to the fear that China is leveraging the app to collect sensitive data from US citizens. In an executive order released in August, President Trump noted that “the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States”.
Since the announcement, speculation over the implications of the ban for both users and companies have been high. The order prohibits U.S. individuals and companies from completing transactions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and its subsidiaries, such as Musical.ly. This includes preventing new downloads and prohibiting updates to existing versions of TikTok.
The US has since broadened the scope of the potential ban, with potential restrictions on both the sale of app stores like Google and Apple’s, which hosts the application on its platform, as well as potential implications for the cloud storage of user data.
However, it is still unclear as to what the next steps of the US government’s actions against TikTok will be. In the meantime, the Trump administration has given TikTok parent company ByteDance until November 12th to find a buyer that would address the US’s national security concerns. This has since led to negotiations with major tech firms such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Walmart on potential purchases of parts of the company.
Notably, this executive order comes at a time when many countries have been considering similiar measures to protect their own user data. India was the first to take a stand, completely banning the app from its borders earlier in the year. Other countries like Australia and Japan have followed suit, expressing concern over ByteDance’s data collection and privacy practices.
The TikTok ban is an important move for the United States in terms of protecting its citizens’ data and national security, and reveals the Trump administration’s commitment to keeping the US’s interests safe. The US government’s decision to ban the app, as well as the actions of other governments, will likely set a precedent for other digital businesses operating in their respective countries. It remains to be seen whether this ban will serve its purpose, or if it will be overturned in the future.