Today, the US Senate voted through a ban on Tiktok in the US market.
The House of Representatives has already voted through the proposal and now only one thing remains: President Joe Biden’s signature – which he has already promised to give.
– If they vote through, I will sign, he tells Forbes.
What does the Tiktok ban mean in practice?
In practice, the ban means a direct order: sell the company to the US or leave the country.
Tiktok now has about a year to completely cut ties with parent company Bytedance, or they risk being permanently ported from US app stores.
For several years, Bytedance themselves have tried to convince the outside world that the concerns are unwarranted. They say, among other things, that the American data is kept separately from the Chinese owner company.
Elon Musk: “Contradicts freedom of expression”
What critics worry about is above all that the app is owned by a Chinese company. It is also not completely clear what information the app collects about its users, how it is shared or with whom. That has left critics worried that it could be used for espionage, influence and propaganda.
The issue has been bubbling for years and it was Donald Trump who in 2020 first proposed a ban. He has since relented and now opposes the ban.
Even the tech giant Elon Musk, who owns the competitor X, is against the ban and writes on X that it “contradicts freedom of expression”.
Fear of dependency within the EU
Even in Europe, the company’s future is now being discussed. In February 2024, a major review of the company was launched focusing on Tiktok’s algorithm. What the EU is worried about is that the algorithm will stimulate a behavioral addiction in young people.
On April 22, they also started another process against Tiktok Lite. A version of the app recently released in France and Spain. Here, the European Commission has reacted to the fact that the new version contains a game-like system where you earn money by watching videos or following other users. A system that could stimulate addictive behaviors.