Will Tiktok get banned?

TikTok Banned? 

By: Derrin Couch 

Reporter/Photographer 

The US government has struck once again, attempting to ban a well-known platform, TikTok, which has created curiosity and shocked millions or even billions of users.  

TikTok being banned was a possibility before and is now becoming even bigger with the concern that the Chinese government could control the app that many Americans use daily.

A student logging on to TikTok. Photo by Derrin Couch.

The problem is that the Chinese company ByteDance owns the app and is under pressure amid concerns over the handling of users’ data, which the Chinese Communist Party could secretly control. The US government demands that TikTok partner with an American company, or the app will most likely be banned. Over the past twelve months, Amazon, Meta, Apple, and X have all found themselves confronting lawsuits with the same problem as TikTok since they are all global platforms. However, because they are within the US, they aren’t facing legal action as severe as TikTok. 

The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, is a Singaporean businessman and entrepreneur who has served as chief executive officer of the Chinese company ByteDance. ByteDance operates the online video platform TikTok, which is currently battling with Congress and fighting for the app. 

According to the Associated Press, The House is passing a bill that will lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok if its “Chinese” owner doesn’t sell his stake in the company to the US because of the current concerns about its “national security threat.” 

According to Fox Business, CEO Shou states that if the US bans TikTok, they would be taking away from their citizens, negatively impacting small businesses, and putting more than 300,000 Americans’ jobs at risk because the app is also a career, business, and profession. It creates creativity and entertainment for those who constantly engage in the app. Shou also states that social media apps “empower” people to “freely express themselves.” 

“It has given our 170 million users a platform to freely express themselves, and it empowered more than 7 million businesses in the United States,” said Shou.

TikTok’s diverse content may be the issue. The US may see content from other countries, which may also see content from the US because the app is global. There is no trust from the US, only suspicion, but the app was intended to create an opportunity for users to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds. 

Students of Crete-Monee feel as if the TikTok ban isn’t needed. 

“I feel like the TikTok ban isn’t needed because nobody is trying to spy on us. If they are, then the only thing they will see is people dancing,” Dorian Patterson said.

“They have no reason to ban TikTok. It’s honestly Unnecessary, and I don’t see the point of it,” Caedman Vanderhoot said.

“I think it’s something deeper than that, but they just won’t say because how did they come up with that, and where is the evidence of this spying?” Patterson said.

Why ban a platform many people love to use every day? It’s educational, beneficial, and entertaining. TikTok suits everyone's interest. It’s something people can enjoy on their own time. Correcting privacy and security concerns against the platform’s popularity and benefits is the key to finding a balance, not taking something great away- something the people of the US love.