Why Is TikTok Getting Banned?

TikTok, the popular short-form video-sharing app, is being banned in more than one country. This is mainly due to concerns over its potential to be used for espionage and other activities by the Chinese government. TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, which has been accused of collecting user data and providing it to the Chinese government.

The US government has taken the lead in banning TikTok. On August 6th 2020, President Trump signed an executive order that would ban TikTok in 45 days unless it was sold to an American company. The order claimed that the app posed a “national security risk” due to its access to user data and its ties with Beijing.

India has also taken steps to ban TikTok, citing similar reasons. In April of 2020, India banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok citing “national security concerns”. The move was seen as retaliation for China’s aggressive stance in a border dispute between the two countries.

TikTok has denied any involvement in espionage but there is still some lingering doubt about how secure user data is on the platform. There have been reports of Chinese content moderation teams reviewing user data and censorship occurring on the platform as well. Additionally, many countries are concerned about how easily accessible user data can be if it falls into the wrong hands and how this could be used for malicious purposes.

The potential ban of TikTok highlights a growing trend of mistrust between countries regarding technology companies based in China specifically and technology companies based outside of their own borders generally. As more countries take measures against Chinese tech companies, this could have far-reaching implications on global trade and commerce as well as foreign relations between nations.

Conclusion:

The decision to ban TikTok is driven by national security concerns over how easily accessible user data can be if it falls into the wrong hands and how this could be used for malicious purposes by foreign governments such as China’s. Additionally, it highlights a growing trend of mistrust between countries over technology companies based outside their own borders which could have far-reaching implications on global trade and commerce as well international relations.