TikTok users in the United States opened the app Jan. 18 to a message stating it was unavailable, but President Donald Trump was working to restore it. Less than 12 hours later, TikTok was online again.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to upload and watch short videos. The app has gained popularity since its international release in 2017, obtaining over 170 million users in the U.S.
TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. During President Trump’s first term, he attempted to remove TikTok from app stores due to security concerns regarding ByteDance. It has since been a topic of concern for Congress.
Government officials are concerned about ByteDance’s ties with China. Geoff Allen, assistant professor of political science, said ByteDance has “tight” relations with the Chinese Communist party, including participating “in the development of monitoring technologies for the domestic population.” He said it is fair to believe the data TikTok stores is not secure from the Chinese state.
Politicians are concerned about data being stolen because it can be used to influence American politics.
Nathan Snow, assistant professor of communication, called social media “one of the least recognized superpowers… [it] has been shown to topple governments and bring new ones about.”
Congress passed and signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act April 24, 2024. This law prevents app stores from distributing applications owned by companies located in foreign adversaries. Operations that allow downloads may face fines of up to $5,000 per person. It also gave apps owned by foreign adversaries 180 days to find new owners before facing bans.
As the deadline of Jan. 19 approached, Americans waited to discover if TikTok would be banned. They found out Jan. 18 that ByteDance had removed access to the app completely.
However, less than 12 hours later, TikTok was back online in the U.S. bearing a message that gave credit to President Donald Trump for the restoration. The next day, President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office, allowing a 75-day extension for ByteDance to find a new owner of TikTok.
Vince Brown, director of the Institute of Politics and Public Affairs, said U.S. presidents are made aware of national security concerns at the beginning of their term.
“They know a great deal… and you can just see it over their faces for the next four years,” Brown said.
He said their knowledge on the topic seems to be an indicator of TikTok’s removal, but President Trump is moving forward with the 75-day extension.
For TikTok to continue its availability in the U.S. it must be sold to an American company. Only a few people are serious about buying the company, including former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, but ByteDance has shared it does not plan to sell.
President Trump has proposed the U.S. government purchase 50% of TikTok. He said that by doing this TikTok will be saved, and in “good hands.” But, Allen said Congress would not be willing to buy TikTok, and a 50/50 ownership is not likely.
Without a new owner, TikTok would not be distributed through app stores or receive updates. It would eventually become unusable and irrelevant. Snow said TikTok being banned would “leave a hole,” but people aren’t going to give up on social media.
We have already seen people move to new social media apps as a result of the ban. Apps where you can find content similar to TikTok are making their way to the stage. RedNote, Instagram and YouTube are among the most popular app migrations.
The fate of TikTok is still up in the air, but content creators will continue finding ways to share their stories.
