The doomsday countdown ticks day by day for TikTok users as the Jan. 19 divestment day inches closer and closer. This could spell doom for not only the 100+ million users in the United States, but also the content creators who call the platform home.
The primary goal of the TikTok ban is the growing worry of user information breaches. The company behind TikTok, ByteDance, is an internet company headquartered in Beijing, China. The federal powers have expressed concerns about the collected information being used with malicious intent.
ByteDance’s foreign ownership played a major role in the decision; the CEO of TiTok was interrogated for nearly five hours about his company’s ties to the Chinese government. The bipartisan decision to ban TikTok was undoubtedly one fueled by hatred and sinophobia; the CEO of TikTok has repeatedly stated that the platform has no ties to the Chinese government.
Following a federal TikTok ban, we could see a major migration to other social media services like Meta and X, both companies headquartered in American cities and led by white CEOs, contrasting TikTok’s leadership. Both companies have been under fire recently for their misuse of user information. This could mean that, although the threat of information breaches may be resolved on a foreign front, it shall remain a challenge domestically.
Content creators who make a living off of the revenue brought by TiTok may have a difficult time finding new ways to make a living. Users of TikTok will also have a hard time finding their favorite creators on new platforms as well.
Experts argue that the TikTok ban is unconstitutional, however, since the social media service is protected under the First Amendment. Since the decision, TikTok has flocked to the United States Court of Appeals in order to repeal the decision against the company.
The decision to ban TikTok sets forth a dire precedent to social media companies in the future. And though the nationwide ban may be inevitable, a greater issue looms above — what will happen to information regulation on all platforms?
