The U.S. government makes decisions affecting the fate of TikTok. Photo credit of reuters.com.
MOLLY DURM | STAFF REPORTER | mdurm@butler.edu
Americans grieved the loss of TikTok and celebrated its return, all within a 14-hour time span as the app was “banned” in the U.S. for just a few hours. The social media platform that is known for its short-form videos, viral trends and diverse creative content is used by about 170 million Americans.
The threat of a TikTok ban has been circulating in America for approximately five years but a temporary ban finally took effect on Jan. 18. Because TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, the U.S. government has held long-standing concerns about the safety of Americans’ data under the Chinese company.
Timeline of the TikTok ban
In Aug. 2020, Donald Trump issued an executive order demanding that ByteDance must sell to a U.S. owner within 90 days or the app will no longer be available in America. The Trump administration extended the deadline but when Trump’s presidential term expired eventually the order unraveled altogether.
In Feb. 2021, Former President Joe Biden postponed the legal cases involving Trump’s plan to ban TikTok.
In 2023 the FBI raised national security concerns about the app and months later federal agencies were ordered to ensure the app was deleted from all government-issued devices. With the concern that ByteDance could share user data with China’s authoritarian government, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was questioned at a congressional hearing. Chew advocated that users’ data was not at risk when using the app.
With the continued concern of data protection, in March and April 2024, a bill to ban TikTok or force its sale to a U.S. company was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill was signed into law by Joe Biden. ByteDance sued claiming the law was unconstitutional and infringing on America’s First Amendment rights.
On Dec. 27, 2024, then-President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) to pause the ban until he took office. On Jan. 17 SCOTUS unanimously voted to uphold the sale-or-ban law. Because ByteDance did not sell to an American company, the ban was set to take effect on Jan. 19. However, on Jan. 18 American users lost access to TikTok and on Jan. 19 TikTok was available to American users again. On Jan. 20 Trump was inaugurated and signed an executive order to delay the TikTok ban by 75 days allowing time to negotiate a deal between ByteDance and a new American owner.
Campus reactions
Jimmy Lafakis, an adjunct professor in the College of Communication, notes the nationwide significance of this event.
“I felt like I was a part of history,” Lafakis said. “It was a moment that I’ll never forget when it went down and when it came back, and then following everybody’s reactions and memes, it was unique.”
When TikTok services returned to the U.S., users received a welcome back message from the app thanking them for their patience and stating due to “President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” However, since this occurred a day before his inauguration, Donald Trump had not yet assumed any presidential power and had not yet signed an executive order to postpone the ban.
Emilee Daniels, a junior majoring in organizational communication and leadership, noted the significance of Trump pushing to lift the TikTok ban, calling it a strategic move to gain support.
“I think it was definitely interesting timing, especially because [Trump] was originally the person who wanted the ban to happen and now is being credited with its return,” Daniels said. “I do think it was a strategic move on his part because people love TikTok and maybe he thought this will give him some more support.”
Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony took place on Jan. 20, two days after the app was banned and one day after the ban was lifted. TikTok CEO Shou Chew notably attended the ceremony.
Assistant professor of journalism Kristen Patrow viewed this event as a statement about the influence of social media in modern politics.
“I think it shows that there is more communication power behind this administration than we’ve seen in previous times,” Patrow said. “When you’ve got the owners of the biggest social media platforms attending and being [at the inauguration] front and center it says something about the cultural power that Trump has.”
As the controversy of TikTok’s temporary ban has taken over the country, users have juggled opinions about whether it is within the government’s right to ban a platform that fosters freedom of speech and expression, or if these measures are justified to ensure public safety.
“I think that if it is a matter of national security, that is part of [our government’s] job to make sure we’re getting protected from that and they should act as they see fit,” Daniels said.
Patrow suggests a more effective way to protect user data would be to place data-mining regulations on all social media companies rather than attempting to ban just one.
“I personally would much rather like to see robust data collection reform,” Patrow said. “I think regulations on how data is stored [by all social media companies] would be a better way to deal with this and be better for society than limiting speech.”
The brief ban of TikTok has taken a national spotlight and sparked debate about data protection, free expression and national security. While the app is currently available to use, it is only available on the devices that had the app downloaded before the ban took effect. The app currently cannot be downloaded from the app store. The app’s future remains uncertain as it is unclear if TikTok will gain an American owner, or if the sale-or-ban law has just been temporarily postponed.