The debate over TikTok's future in the U.S. intensifies as various stakeholders weigh in on the potential ban or forced sale of the app. Fans in India, where TikTok was banned in 2020, still question their government's decision, highlighting the app's unique appeal compared to alternatives like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. In the U.S., the House of Representatives has passed a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban unless its China-based owner, ByteDance, divests its stake. This move has sparked a broad discussion, touching on national security concerns, the impact on users and creators, and the geopolitical implications. Critics like Zachary Karabell argue that banning TikTok or forcing its sale won't significantly hinder China's ability to gather data, suggesting that the focus should be on regulating social media companies more broadly. Meanwhile, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China relations, calls for equal treatment among social media platforms. VP Kamala Harris, on ABC's "This Week", emphasized that the Biden administration does not intend to ban TikTok but is concerned about its ownership. Yaqiu Wang and former US Congressman John Leboutillier also contribute to the discourse, highlighting the challenges of balancing national security, human rights, and free expression.
Big brands could pivot easily if TikTok goes away. For many small businesses, it’s another story https://t.co/RuNdn0ylRV
There has been a palpable shift in public sentiment toward the social-media giants, especially when it comes to the effects that their addictive products have on children. Still, the effort to bar TikTok is unconstitutional, Jay Caspian Kang writes. https://t.co/bnPRONAh8y
TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, has no plans to sell the short-video platform despite the threat of a US ban, and even if it did, the company says there is not enough time to meet an expected 180-day deadline for sale to a non-Chinese owner. https://t.co/b9GjO6ATe2
TikTok has a strong case to challenge the buy-or-sell bill now before the Senate, lawyers say, particularly if its users mount a First Amendment case. https://t.co/qNMbg6w5XG By @erinkwoo & @JuroOsawa
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis’s office says it has received around 1,000 calls about TikTok since the House passed legislation this month that would ban the popular app if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. https://t.co/rdKyynTK9Y
TikTok’s seemingly had a rough few months. Marketers are making contingency plans as the platform faces a ban in the U.S. (again). Meanwhile, TikTok lost U.S. users for the first time in Q4, according to a report from Business Insider. https://t.co/RfdFPqxD4V
TikTok ban forgets the lessons of the Pentagon Papers, @SethAStern writes in @CJR https://t.co/XVwHhzoJa6
TikTok youth council hopes to make social media site a safer place for teenagers https://t.co/enIwrxPCnd
Watch Rest of World's U.S. tech editor @russellbrandom's appearance on @AJListeningPost to discuss the potential TikTok ban https://t.co/I9VUbtoPMc
Big brands could pivot easily if TikTok goes away. For many small businesses, it's another story https://t.co/MgLaX5mnNk
“Michigan Democrat, Rep. Hillary Scholten was in the middle-school pickup line when one of her son's friends asked, ‘Are you the one who's banning TikTok?’” https://t.co/n398EB0Cbn
Marketers and influencers are already starting to pivot from campaigns that rely on reaching consumers through TikTok. But for smaller creators and entrepreneurs, the app is a crucial way to reach fans – and it can’t necessarily be replaced. https://t.co/zOjgapu3FC
Woz calls out US lawmakers for TikTok ban: 'I don’t like the hypocrisy` https://t.co/xugaE2hPwb
Will banning TikTok actually make a difference? 4 comedians weigh in https://t.co/LHmpuIjD9l https://t.co/Zi6DxHf3Af
TikTok users have been encouraged to call their government representatives to urge them to stop the bill, and the company is even giving them the phone number to call. https://t.co/2FpTlurFO2
OPINION: The twists and turns of TikTok's American saga reflect Washington's dilemma as it grapples with the erosion of its previously overweening global influence and surveillance capabilities, writes Nina Xiang. https://t.co/RkAYGDaHVQ
If Congress forces ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a US ban, the social media company is expected to reprise First Amendment arguments that have been successful in Montana. https://t.co/6cNY2rDKzH
TikTok has been urging its users — many of whom are young — to call their representatives, even providing an easy link to the phone numbers. https://t.co/oh687hfi2K
Q&A with tech expert Dan Wang on China's reaction to the TikTok crackdown, how the state media is keeping its powder dry for now, possible retaliation, and more (@ravmattu / New York Times) https://t.co/5Fiy86Acsw 📫 Subscribe: https://t.co/OyWeKSRpIM https://t.co/QRc5rePCWw
US House passes bill urging Chinese divestiture of TikTok, mirroring Huawei conflict. https://t.co/SlMpKIG7Z3 https://t.co/aFX6KpyGK9
Check out The Daily Punch: Where @apalmerdc & @JakeSherman discuss the news of the day on Capitol Hill. Today they’re talking about how seemingly everyone in Congress is mad at each other, the TikTok ban bill and the Veepstakes. https://t.co/DmFcLzor8w
TikTok turns to teenage 'youth council' as part of its latest safety push https://t.co/dL5Hb1LPIS https://t.co/BET8FJ2fAe
Big brands that have relied on TikTok to reach younger consumers do not appear to be panicking as they wait to see what happens in Washington. But they also have started planning. https://t.co/k0cQdNhCPU
The fight over banning TikTok has moved to television screens nationwide as Senate leaders still weigh how to address the social media app. @JakeSherman & @AndrewDesiderio with more: https://t.co/XeO2csVZre
TikTok’s extensive lobbying campaign is the latest tech industry push since the House passed legislation that would ban the popular app if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. https://t.co/hZ0oftNfVA
TikTok’s U.S. Rupture - How the Chinese owned app overtook its rivals and the senators who will now decide its future in the U.S. by @aaronMCN @thewirechina https://t.co/vbqPz1t87D
TikTok’s extensive lobbying campaign is the latest tech industry push since the House passed legislation that would ban the popular app if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake. Here's the latest. https://t.co/V9AXLZASNJ
Point: Congress is right to call for divestment of TikTok | Commentary https://t.co/ICFl8JpJn9 https://t.co/8PWF1GvTDf
Counterpoint: Banning TikTok is a blow to free speech | Commentary https://t.co/tFRRInldW1 https://t.co/RLY70DsThg
Is 🇨🇳 Xiaohongshu (小红书) becoming another TikTok? Young Americans, fed up with US social media and its fake compliments and flagrant insults, are looking for something revolutionary: honest but civil feedback. And they’re turning to a 🇨🇳 app for it. No, not TikTok.… https://t.co/zKZ8CxUqTI
Bill to bar TikTok reflects diminishing U.S. confidence https://t.co/dggbifgABp
Vice Pres. Kamala Harris won't say why Biden campaign is on TikTok despite security concerns. https://t.co/W7tLOofLGh
Kamala Harris Addresses Possible TikTok Ban: 'We Do Not Intend To Ban' The App https://t.co/UFDMpdvhpa
What the TikTok ban really means for U.S. companies https://t.co/sLyV6z6nVw https://t.co/8VJ6tmGNKe
'The evidence is clear that the Chinese Communist Party gathers information from the users on Tiktok.' Former US Congressman, John Leboutillier, reacts to the US House passing an Act that could force the sale of Tiktok in the USA. https://t.co/r1wHFqHo1E
'Tiktok is attracting the attention of avaricious types excited by the prospect of acquiring control of it, acquiring, more to the point, perhaps, the ability to silence and censor content.' @Thecoastguy says 'the aggressive move on TikTok is about controlling the narrative'. https://t.co/X1cHB8miv7
TikTok is a hard problem to solve, but solving it requires a balance to be struck between legitimate national security needs, human rights, and free expression, Yaqiu Wang writes. https://t.co/NSwSdLBTBH
TikTok was "a potential goodwill ambassador for China’s rise, cut off at the knees by the hard realities of Chinese authoritarianism," @MichaelSchuman writes: https://t.co/O6Ds8ZpQXT
‘You Can’t Do That!’ Lawmakers’ Kids Confront Them Over TikTok Crackdown. - WSJ https://t.co/P1f2O1ALlC
I asked VP Harris why their campaign is on TikTok — if they believe there are national security concerns about the app. Despite sounding the alarm about the national security risks, the Biden campaign has directed Americans to follow them on the platform. https://t.co/yr7Qq5omRV
VP Harris says Biden administration doesn’t want to ban TikTok despite backing bill that would force sale https://t.co/AVfHhmcIxH
Kamala Harris has a very difficult time trying to explain why their campaign prolifically uses TikTok even as they warn of national security risks with the app https://t.co/nOu5DU0mgS
VP Kamala Harris on ABC’s “This Week”: “We do not intend to ban TikTok. That is not at all the goal or the purpose of this conversation. We need to deal with the owner, and we have national security concerns about the owner of TikTok, but we have no intention to ban TikTok.”
Lawmakers’ Kids Confront Them Over TikTok Crackdown https://t.co/KwCnRrIiml
Several senators criticized what they characterized as a delay in the House-passed TikTok bill in the upper chamber as a pressing "national security concern" lingers. https://t.co/Xu0rRfyrrv
“My kids are really tough bargainers.” Lawmakers who are debating a ban or forced sale of TikTok face fierce lobbying—from their own tweens and teens. https://t.co/cVGnvZLXYB https://t.co/cVGnvZLXYB
Recently the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok. In an interview with CGTN host Tian Wei, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China relations, said the U.S. government should regulate social media companies equally. https://t.co/Rai9tk8NDX
‘Cherry on the Cake’: @danwwang talks to @ravmattu on how China views the U.S. crackdown on TikTok & why Beijing would see a forced sale or ban as a propaganda coup. https://t.co/vRgI58HvWu
Some TikTok fans in India still question the country's 2020 decision to ban the app, saying alternatives like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels lack its allure (Wall Street Journal) https://t.co/czg3fw1CjV 📫 Subscribe: https://t.co/OyWeKSRpIM https://t.co/9LMK7wAXeS
Banning TikTok or forcing its divestiture won’t make it significantly more difficult for China’s spy agencies to obtain that data if they want it, either via buying it from private companies or collecting it themselves, Zachary Karabell argues. https://t.co/2LZ3haoQzz
TikTok fans in India still question the government’s 2020 decision to ban the social-media app. It offers a case study, with TikTok facing a similar threat in the U.S. https://t.co/R6ZsINlbZh via @WSJ