Could TikTok Be Banned in the US?
Reading Time: 3 minutesAmid safety concerns surrounding TikTok, the US is seeking legislative action to ban the social app. Here’s what you need to know.
Concerns surrounding TikTok’s safety are nothing new. For a while now, users and governmental bodies alike have expressed concerns over how secure TikTok is, and how the social media platform handles data in China (where its parent company is headquartered).
But new US legislation seeks to take action on these safety concerns. Bills are currently working through the US government to explore bans on TikTok on devices in the country–starting with government devices. Here’s everything you need to know.
New US Legislation Bans TikTok From Government Devices
On 14 December 2022, the US Senate voted unanimously to pass the No TikTok on Government Devices Act. The new legislation seeks to ban TikTok from being allowed on any devices owned by federal agencies. For example, FBI agents wouldn’t be allowed to download TikTok on a smartphone issued by the Bureau.
The Act does allow for exceptions, such as for security research on the social media app, but these must be approved first. It comes among many concerns surrounding ways TikTok is dangerous for security and privacy. While the new legislation sounds rather scary, it’s not quite become law just yet.
Without delving too deep into US politics, the legislation would first need to be voted for approval in the House of Representatives. If voted to pass, it would then proceed to President Biden for final approval. However, this hasn’t stopped some US States from taking early action.
A number of States have independently passed laws to ban TikTok on government-owned devices already. States including Texas, Utah, and Alabama have passed Statewide legislation putting the partial ban into action. But how much further can it go?
Could the US More Broadly Ban TikTok?
It’s currently unclear whether the President will approve the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, but that’s the end of it, right? Well, not quite. There’s another piece of legislation currently going through Congress, that would result in a total ban on TikTok in the US.
Dubbed the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act (which stands for The Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act), the legislation seeks to ban social apps originating from China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Venezuela.
This Act focuses less on TikTok, and rather on social apps as a whole, including some of the top social media platforms. Its intention is to protect against security threats potentially posed by such apps. However, to that same extent, the more general focus makes this a piece of legislation that’s a lot less likely to be approved.
Such actions would have much deeper political ramifications against affected countries, and would pose major changes for how Americans use their smartphones. The Act is yet to be voted on as of 16 December 2022, so it’s unclear what will happen for certain.
If the US Bans TikTok, What Impact Could It Have?
While it currently appears unlikely that the US would move towards this TikTok ban (and all other affected apps), it does currently remain a possibility. So, what impact could a US-wide ban on TikTok have?
One of the reasons TikTok is bad for you includes that it’s bad for your brain. Studies have shown it reduces attention span because of copious amounts of time on the app. Surely, a ban could be beneficial in this regard? Not necessarily.
Should TikTok become unavailable, a large number of users could suddenly find themselves unsure of what to spend their time doing. It begs the question of what app users could turn to next, which could pose somewhat of a problem.
It also brings up the question of how effective a ban would be. Users would likely still be able to access TikTok via VPNs or sideloading, but would the US seek to disallow this? Or would there be punishments for those skirting the rules? Clearly, there’s still a lot to figure out should the ban ever happen.
TikTok Users in the US Don’t Need to Worry About a Ban for Now
It appears unlikely that the US government will move forward with the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act, and indeed the US-wide TikTok ban. Such a ban would have wide ramifications, and is still in the early stages of existence–nowhere near approval. Those in government, however, will likely face a ban on federal-owned devices.
Since TikTok users can still use the app in the US among all this talk of banning, it’s best to act in accordance with the app’s rules. You wouldn’t want to get banned from the app, after all.