The Coming TikTok Ban

Last week Joe Biden Signed Legislation that would ban TikTok across the USA. This was a long coming with debates surrounding the app going on for months prior. 

These debates were flimsy covers for the true reasons Congress wants a ban, the primary reason being a general distrust of China. This reason can be seen most clearly in the legislation which tells us the ban would not be instated if ByteDance, the company who owns TikTok, sold the app to a non-Chinese-owned company.

Unfortunately, this distrust will have pretty major effects on individuals.

TikTok has become so much more than a dance app in the years it's been in existence. Some use it as their primary social app, so a form of personal connection will be lost.

More so than that a form of social connection will be lost. With the popularity of Twitter dwindling, largely due to a lack of safety, community organizers have had to move to a new platform. TikTok seemed like the best option. The user base skews younger and more leftist, this allows for a space to encourage more positive change and education.

People are also drawn to TikTok because they are a big social media app with no evidence of data leaking. Unfortunately in this day and age most social media can't provide this. This is especially an issue with Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and to a lesser extent WhatsApp) who have a storied history of data leaks. 

However, these effects are at the very least months away. ByteDance has a few months to sell Tiktok before the legislature goes into effect. On top of this, they don't plan on going away this easily. The company is planning further legal action, on the grounds of free speech. 

In previous cases where states have tried to implement bans against TikTok, the free speech defense has won almost all cases.

For now, TikTok isn't going anywhere, and in the meantime, so many people are working on new ways to connect.