The recent confirmation by the Court Supreme of the United States of the ban imposed on TikTok has raised numerous discussions regarding the future of the application in the country. The decision comes following the law signed by the former president Joe Biden in April, which places TikTok at a crucial crossroads: the sale to an American entity or the cessation of its operations in the USA. The concerns that led to this measure mainly concern national security issues, linked to the ways in which TikTok, and its parent company ByteDance based in Chinacollects and manages user data.
The appeal presented by TikTok, based on the protection of freedom of expression guaranteed by the first amendment of the American Constitution, was not accepted by the Court. In particular, the law called “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” raises doubts about the management and control of algorithms and data of American users with respect to decisions made by the headquarters in China.
However, the case could be influenced by the current president Donald Trump, whose approach suggests a possible openness towards TikTok. Trump’s future actions, especially in light of a conversation described as “positive” with the Chinese president Xi Jinpingcould lead to a different outcome for the application ban.
In addition to political and national security implications, the TikTok ban brings with it considerable social and economic repercussions, particularly for content creators in the United States. With approx 27 million creators who receive compensation through the platform, of which over 3 million are considered macro influencers, TikTok represents not only a channel of creative expression but also a source of livelihood for many.
In response to the threat of a ban, users and content creators are evaluating alternatives, including other Chinese social platforms such as RedNote and Lemon8, the latter part of the ByteDance group. Among the various solutions proposed to overcome the ban, we highlight “Project Texas”, an initiative by TikTok aimed at transferring the data of American users to servers located in the USA, in the hope of mitigating the concerns expressed by the government.
The Tik Tok article must be sold. What happens now? comes from TheVermilion.com.