The TikTok Ban
BY NHI VUONG
About 170 million Americans, equal to half the country’s population, use TikTok. People use the popular app to entertain themselves, communicate with friends, follow the news, go shopping, and operate businesses.
Recently, the government threatened to shut down TikTok if ByteDance, the owner, refused to sell it. The U.S. Department of Justice says TikTok, based in Beijing, has access to American data and is sharing it with the Chinese government. However, this accusation has failed to be proven. TikTok says the government has yet to prove that such a security risk has ever happened, arguing that the ban violates First Amendment rights and threatens the voices of millions of Americans. Donald Trump currently seems to be on TikTok’s side as well. He argued that the Supreme Court should let him resolve the issue after becoming president, since the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok is January 19th, a day before Mr. Trump is to be inaugurated. Trump previously favored a forced sale of TikTok, but he shifted his perspective last year after chatting with a TikTok investor. While the Supreme Court generally takes months to make a decision, the case involving TikTok is expected to be resolved much sooner, with rulings due in the coming days, according to the Associated Press.
On Saturday, TikTok was completely unavailable when users attempted to access the app. When the app was opened, a message appeared: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” it read. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.” The message also stated that President Donald Trump has promised to “work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” Around the same time, TikTok also stopped appearing on both Apple and Google Play app stores, preventing the app from being downloaded and future updates. This has been the first time the government has taken away such a widely used social media network.
After the devastating ban, about 12 hours later, TikTok was available for use again. When opened, the announcement read, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” popped up on the screen. And just like that, the app returned to normal, as if the ban never happened.
Cites –
https://www.nytimes.com
https://www.usatoday.com
