The TikTok saga is not a new topic of discussion, with the suggestion to ban the application in the US first having been floated back in 2020 when former President (and current President-elect) Donald J. Trump dubbed the platform a “national security risk” and called for it to be banned in the United States.
Since then, the case has moved through the American judicial system, with Tik Tok having most recently made its case to the Supreme Court in an attempt to stop the ban from being imposed. As it stands, US legislation asserts that unless ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, sells the platform, the 19th of January is the deadline for the new rules to be imposed.
Essentially, these regulations include the fact that no new users will be allowed to download and register for the application, and no new updates can be processed. So, while this isn’t exactly a complete ban, for all intents and purposes, it also kind of is. Ultimately, these rules will prevent the platform from functioning and growing properly, essentially leading to a slow, sad death.
For And Against: A Flip-Flopping Trump
With more than 170 million users in the States, there’s been massive opposition to the potential ban and Supreme Court ruling, and in an interesting turn of events, Trump himself is leading the charge. The overwhelming argument against the ban pertains to a potential violation of free speech mandates.
Now, the apprehension over TikTok, as initially asserted very boldly by Trump and now supported by the Biden administration and many lawmakers, is that the company may be used as a tool by the Chinese government to not only spy on the US and its people, but to actually manipulate them too.
Of grave concern is the fact that up until now, it’s actually almost impossible to know what the app has been used for and the influence that the Chinese have already had on US politics, economics and social issues. Naturally, ByteDance and the Chinese deny any such activity and vehemently uphold their stance that the potential ban is unconstitutional.
But, why the change of heart from Trump’s side? The answer isn’t immediately clear, but there are a few possible reasons that have been floated, but it’s all related to the fact that he has since gone from being a former president to the campaigning Republican nominee to the President-elect. Indeed, the repercussions of the potential ban and the implications thereof now fall directly into his lap.
With his inauguration scheduled for the 20th of January, the day after the TikTok deadline, the Trump administration will become responsible for managing the fallout of the entire situation and the complex diplomatic relations that are likely to ensue. Perhaps Trump simply doesn’t want to be responsible for implementing the ban, or, perhaps it’s more about gaining some leverage with China.
Or, maybe he’s simply completely changed his mind since 2020 and no longer believes that the app poses a threat to national security.
It’s impossible to know exactly what his motivation is, and perhaps we never will, but either way, Trump’s change of heart has been pretty stark.
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To Sell Or Not To Sell?
The possibility of a sale was floated quite early on, especially since part of the court’s ruling was that the new regulations and potential ban were contingent on a sale – indeed, it’s ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok (as a major corporation very much controlled by the Chinese government) that is the crux of the issue. If ownership were to shift away from Chinese hands, the issue would be somewhat mitigated.
Thus, it came as no surprise that Elon Musk threw his hat into the ring almost immediately, raising his interest in purchasing the social media giant.
However, since then, ByteDance has made some pretty bold claims and assertions about the future of TikTok in light of the potential ban, making it pretty clear that the idea of a potential sale to Musk isn’t the direction they’re looking to go in. In fact, their sentiment seems to be more that they want the ban to be dropped, or they’re prepared to let the ship sink.
But, why would they rather allow the platform to see an untimely demise rather than sell it to one of the many interested buyers already lining up and ready to pay?
Well, this is exactly what those who support the ban are saying – indeed, does the fact that they don’t want the company to change hands indicate that there may be something to hide? Or, are they just sick and tired of being controlled by US lawmakers and want to make a bold statement to the rest of the world?
Nobody has the answers, but both sides of the coin hold a great deal of interest as, in essence, they both relate to freedom of speech, in a sense.
Those opposing the ban claim that prohibiting TikTok is a prohibition of the right to access and say whatever they like (within reason), while those pushing the ban assert that the platform is being used to manipulate the masses and is indirectly detracting from free speech on a potentially far larger and more damaging scale.
But, without really knowing how TikTok was being used by the Chinese – and if there even was any involvement from the government – it’s tough to make a confident statement either way.
For now, it’s going to be a bit of a wait-and-see game. Will ByteDance allow the 19th of January deadline to come and go or will they go ahead with a sale in the next three days? Or, will there be another proposed resolution that’ll turn the situaiton on its head once again? Only time will tell.