Note: The views and opinions expressed in blog/editorial posts are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the views or opinions of Misbar.
U.S.-China relations are becoming increasingly problematic, which threatens Chinese companies that want to succeed in the United States. As with Huawei before, the U.S. potential ban on TikTok is now the center of much discussion and debate and has made a lot of noise, especially after the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks on Fox News that the U.S. is “looking at” banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps.
Pompeo claims that the TikTok app could be used by the Chinese government to surveil Americans and promote propaganda, and that banning this application from working within the United States once and for all is a real and serious proposal. Social media platforms should be used with caution by Americans, especially if they do not want "their private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party," Pompeo said, according to Reuters.
As soon as the news spread, a TikTok spokesman told ABC News that the company is "led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users."
On the other side of the ocean, CNN reported that the Chinese-owned ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has withdrawn the app from the Hong Kong market following controversial national security law.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) opened a national security investigation into TikTok last year, citing similar concerns to Pompeo, and gathered enough evidence to build a "plausible case."
Business Insider also reported that President Donald Trump said in an interview that he's also considering banning TikTok, echoing earlier comments from Secretary Pompeo.
"It's something we're looking at, yes," Trump said when asked in an interview with Gray Television's Greta Van Susteren about Pompeo's earlier remarks, according to Bloomberg
TikTok became extremely popular with teens in the United States, some of whom are among the most famous users on the app. Many reacted to the news with concern as to whether or not their government would ban the app.
If they want to ban TikTok cuz it’s owned by China shouldn’t they ban Trump since he’s owned by Russia
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) July 12, 2020
Me saying goodbye to my chinese tiktok spy through the phone #tiktokban:
— Xico 🌻🐝 (@xic0__) July 9, 2020
pic.twitter.com/O4qGh3zIHO
You telling me America will ban TikTok but not the KKK... pic.twitter.com/AXaEjsi6KB
— John Dough 📝💸 (@WhereDaPercsAt) July 10, 2020
Tiktok is used as spyware by the Chinese government. The app grabs not only your info but that of friends, family, and acquaintances. It uses that info to find/spy on people critical of the CCP, if they happen to be Chinese or have family in China they go after them. #TiktokBan
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) July 9, 2020
The app owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance has been downloaded over 2 billion times around the world. It has as many as 80 million estimated U.S. users, 60% of whom are between the ages of 16 and 24, the company said last year.
The U.S. administration did not offer more details about the decision. Trump said that banning TikTok is "one of many" ways he is looking to hit back at the Chinese government over the coronavirus.
TikTok users also launched a campaign under the hashtag #SaveTikTok, where they took to various platforms to share their feelings about the app. Michael Le, one of the most popular TikTok content creators with over 30 million followers and 865 million likes, posted this video:
TikTok stars are rallying to #SaveTikTok. This video has 8M views and thousands of duets and reposts. Half a million ppl have commented on this video alone to #SaveTikTok. I wrote about how TikTok influencers and young ppl are handling a potential ban here https://t.co/1BJs2ctk02 pic.twitter.com/IEti1N0vB9
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) July 11, 2020
