TikTok might soon be banned in the US, but it’s still up in the air.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was signed into law on April 24, 2024. This act allows the US President to ban apps like TikTok in the name of national security. To avoid any risk of TikTok being removed from US app stores, Chinese owner ByteDance would need to divest from the app.
These developments are all due to allegations that the Chinese government uses TikTok to gather information on and influence American audiences. In a recent survey, 47% of US TikTok users said they’re concerned about TikTok collecting their personal data, and 50% of respondents have adjusted their privacy settings to limit data collection.
ByteDance has denied these claims, and freedom of speech activists have also spoken out against any ban.