TikTok has faced scrutiny in the United States for an extended period, prompting concerns about data access regulations. These concerns prompted the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a March 2024 bill mandating that the Chinese firm ByteDance divest the social media platform within six months or face prohibition from U.S. digital stores and websites. The proposed ban would necessitate Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app marketplaces, and internet service providers would be unable to offer access to the app through web browsers in the United States.
Dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, passing a vote of 325-65.
However, before the bill can become law, it must receive approval from the U.S. Senate and be signed by the president. President Joe Biden has expressed his intention to sign the bill, leaving the fate of TikTok in the hands of the Senate, which has yet to schedule a vote on the matter.
Former President Donald Trump, who previously advocated for a TikTok ban during his tenure, now opposes such action as he contests the 2024 presidential election against Biden.
In response to the proposed ban, TikTok has launched a $2.1 million advertising campaign featuring testimonials from U.S. users highlighting how the app has benefited them and their businesses. In a strategic move reflecting the political nature of the ban, TikTok directed its ads toward battleground states with crucial Senate races in 2024, aiming to persuade incumbents to reject the House's ban.
TikTok asserts that over 150 million Americans utilize the app, with nearly 5 million businesses leveraging it to initiate and expand their operations.
This isn't the first instance of the U.S. considering a ban on TikTok. The Trump administration previously attempted to employ emergency powers to block the app in 2020. Additionally, in February 2023, the Biden administration barred TikTok from devices used by federal employees.
In March 2023, the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice initiated an investigation into allegations of TikTok spying on American journalists. TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, defended the platform before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 24, 2023, addressing concerns regarding consumer privacy, data security, and the parent company's (ByteDance) potential security risks.
In January 2023, TikTok proposed a $1.5 billion initiative called Project Texas to relocate all U.S. data to the United States, aiming to alleviate privacy and security apprehensions. However, this plan, which involved transferring data to Oracle's cloud and establishing a U.S. subsidiary to manage it, failed to sway Congress during the ban vote.
The desire to ban TikTok in the U.S. primarily stems from national security apprehensions, with lawmakers expressing concerns that ByteDance may be compelled by the Chinese government to disclose U.S. user data.
The U.S. has already prohibited using TikTok on devices used by federal and public sector employees and on state employees' phones in 32 out of 50 states. Several states have filed lawsuits against TikTok, with Indiana being the first to sue the company, alleging inappropriate content and violations of consumer protection laws in data collection practices. Arkansas has also sued TikTok, ByteDance, and Meta (Facebook's parent company) over claims of violating the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Montana passed legislation to ban TikTok on all personal devices, slated to take effect in January 2024. However, a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban in November 2023, citing potential violations of the First Amendment. The court is expected to reach a final decision following a trial anticipated in 2024.
Additionally, numerous universities have prohibited the app from their networks.
