What is expected to happen with TikTok? - The US decision could bring similar measures to other countries
TikTok has returned to Apple and Google's app stores in the US weeks after President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned app.
Millions of US users can now download and update the app again. The app was temporarily halted in January before a law required owner ByteDance to sell it or face a ban due to concerns over national security and algorithmic influence.
TikTok has denied that it has or would ever share U.S. user data. Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, delaying the law by 75 days. The U.S. president is considering extending the 75-day delay, but has said it won’t be necessary, as he believes a buyer will be found. Other countries have already banned the app, including Albania.
What does app banning mean for users?
TikTok was briefly unavailable in the United States in January but has since been restored. Trump's executive order directed the Justice Department to issue letters to companies like Apple, Google's Alphabet and Oracle that work with TikTok "declaring that there was no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred during the period specified above."
When asked what the TikTok order does, Trump said it “just gives me the right to sell it or shut it down.” The president has previously said he would like the United States to have “a 50% ownership position in a joint venture” if TikTok is sold by ByteDance.
Despite the initial ban being passed unanimously, US lawmakers from both parties have said ByteDance should have more time to remove the app.
Where else is TikTok banned?
The United States, Britain and some European Union bodies have already imposed bans only on government devices, but other countries have gone further. In November, Canada ordered TikTok's domestic business to be dismantled, citing national security concerns, but it has not blocked users' access to the app.
Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia have banned TikTok, as has Senegal, which took action in 2023 after the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. The government said the platform was being used to spread "hate messages" that threatened the country's stability.
Albania also announced a one-year ban on TikTok. India banned the app in 2020, while Pakistan has imposed four temporary bans, with the most recent ending in November 2022. Nepal also banned the use of TikTok, with authorities saying it was disrupting "social harmony" and goodwill.
Taiwan, which bans a wide range of Chinese business operations, has blocked the app on state-owned devices and in December 2022 opened an investigation into TikTok over alleged illegal operations on the island.
TikTok is not available in China, where citizens use its Chinese equivalent, Douyin. While the two apps work similarly, content is not shared between them, and Douyin remains under strict censorship.
Does the app pose a threat to national security?
TikTok only has spying value when used on the devices of people connected to national security functions, according to a report published in January 2023 by Georgia Tech's Internet Governance Project. But other digital experts have disputed the report's conclusion.
A 2022 report by Forbes magazine revealed that ByteDance had used the app to track down multiple journalists and uncover the source of leaks. TikTok has said that "these bans are wrong and do nothing to enhance privacy or security."
Is a ban expected from other countries?
Other countries that have close security relationships with the United States have not decided to implement TikTok bans. Australia, which is part of the "Five Eyes" security alliance that includes Canada, New Zealand and the United States, said it had not received advice from its security agencies to ban the app.
Britain, also a member of the network, has not taken such a step. However, countries may now follow the US lead, analysts say.
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