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I feel like every day there’s a new rumor about TikTok being banned in the US.
But banning TikTok isn’t as simple as flipping a switch and deleting the app from everyone’s phone. It’s a major political decision…that balances national security with Freedom of Speech
The big issue is… What is the relationship between TikTok and the Chinese government? Do they have users’ info?
If you ask TikTok, the company will tell you there is no relationship and that it has not and would not give US user data to the Chinese government.
But TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company based in Beijing, China. TikTok has been working hard to convince everyone that it has protections in place that wall off US user data from ByteDance and, by extension, the Chinese government. And one academic study found that TikTok does not have data collection practices that are more of a threat than any other social media site…which is not very comforting.
So will it get banned? Well, it HAS been banned on government devices in some states, and some universities’ wifi systems. Plus, there is legislation in both the House and Senate that would give the President the authority to ban it.
Bottom line- probably not…and definitely not anytime soon. So, TikTok away and enjoy your scrolling (for now)!
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