With the date of the upcoming TikTok ban looming, millions of users across the United States are unsure about the future of the app.
The reason for the ban of the popular app is due to U.S. officials’ concerns of national security. They argue that TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, could be cooperating with China’s intelligence services. This means that data, such as a user’s viewing habits, could land into the hands of the Chinese government.
“I don’t think there’s a reason to ban it. As far as I know, there doesn’t seem to be enough evidence that our data is being jeopardized,” said freshman Emily Ayotte.
Another concern iterated by U.S. officials is that TikTok’s algorithm could hypothetically be manipulated by Chinese officials to promote certain content or spread misinformation.
Representatives of TikTok have long denied any accusations of giving their data to the Chinese government.
Joe Biden signed a legislation into law back in April saying that if ByteDance did not sell TikTok to a government approved buyer by Jan. 19, the app would be banned. So far, ByteDance has not sold the company but there are buyers interested in investing into the app.
TikTok lost its first efforts of overturning the law on Dec. 6, when three federal judges unanimously rejected the argument that the ban was in violation of the First Amendment.
“I think that the government is restricting our First Amendment rights,” said senior Heidi Hort-Ly.
On Jan. 10, TikTok presented its arguments to the Supreme Court, another effort to fight the ban. A decision has not yet been released by SCOTUS.
Former and future President Trump has made a request to the Supreme Court, asking if the ban, set to be a day before his inauguration, could be held off until he is in office so his administration can come up with a “political resolution.”
A new bill has also been introduced, called the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, by democrat Senator Markey. ByteDance would get an extended deadline of 270 days to sell TikTok or be banned.
Many users are curious to know what will happen to TikTok if it does get banned. If the app was already downloaded, it would still be accessible but would be removed from Apple and Google’s app stores. Internet hosting companies would not be allowed to distribute or keep TikTok. App stores and internet hosts would face civil penalties if they helped maintain the app. Tech experts say that the app would eventually become unusable because it would not be able to get any updates or bugs fixed. However, it is unclear on what exactly would happen.
