There has been a rumor in the United States of banning TikTok for a few years, but it is in the process right now. A bill was passed on March 13, 2024, that will lead to the banning of TikTok if the owner does not sell. The voting in the house was 352-65 and it passed in the Senate as well. The reason TikTok has become a topic is because the company that owns TikTok is a Chinese company, Byte Dance Ltd. This is seen as a national security threat because high officials believe that the Chinese are trying to take information through the app. This has been seen as controversial though, because the CEO of TikTok is not Chinese but Singaporian.
The United States is trying to protect its citizens – this has been seen before. In 2022 Project Texas created by Tiktok successfully protected American data; however, their efforts were in vain. The chance of the United States banning TikTok is not good for the company or the United States. Many people use the app to find comfort whether it is to reach out to friends or find a distraction from life’s negativity. It is uncertain how people would react to losing TikTok since it is so widely used.
Since the Senate approved the bill on April 23, 2024, it is now awaiting President Biden’s signature. In other news, Bytedance, the company that owns Tiktok, has stated that they will not sell the company. This is bad news for many Americans who will lose an app that many enjoy. Hopefully, this is the right move by the United States government in trying to protect the citizens’ information. In the end, it is out of the people’s hands and they will have to abide by the government’s decision. It will be interesting to see what happens.