The US government has approved an unprecedented ban on the use of TikTok on federal government devices. The restrictions – inserted into a spending bill just days before it was passed by Congress, and signed by Joe Biden on Thursday – add to growing uncertainty about the app’s future in the US amid a crackdown by state and federal legislatures.
Officials say the ban is necessary because of national security concerns about the app’s China-based owner, ByteDance. But it also leaves many questions unanswered. Here’s what you need to know.
Why did the ban happen?
The US government has banned TikTok on federally issued devices due to national security concerns about its China-based parent company, ByteDance. This may interest you : Nikola founder asks judge to block evidence of “wealth”, “lifestyle” in fraud case. The US fears that the Chinese government could influence TikTok to access those US devices and user data.
TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said the company was “disappointed” that Congress moved forward with the proposal and that it was “a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests.”
The ban means that, in about two months, federal government employees will be required to remove TikTok from their government-issued devices unless they are using the app for national security or law enforcement activities. law.
The director of the US Office of Management and Budget and other offices have 60 days to come up with standards and processes for all government employees to remove the app from their phones. Several federal agencies such as the White House and the defense, internal security and state departments have already banned TikTok, so it will not change anything for those employees. And earlier this week, Catherine Szpindor, the chief administrator of the Chamber of Deputies, also instructed all staff and lawmakers to delete the app from their devices.
How did we get here?
US security concerns about TikTok have existed for years. Read also : Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Yair Lapid of the State of Israel. Donald Trump first tried, unsuccessfully, to ban TikTok in 2020, but bipartisan efforts to regulate and curb use of the app reached a fever pitch in 2022 after news outlets reported that employees of ByteDance were accessing US TikTok user information.
National security concerns were fueled by warnings from FBI director Christopher Wray that the Chinese government could use the app to gain access to US users’ devices. Several states, mainly led by Republicans – including Texas, South Dakota and Virginia – have also recently banned the use of TikTok on devices issued by the state government.
In April, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a ban similar to the one now taking effect, calling TikTok a “Trojan horse for the Chinese Communist party”. The measure, whose outlines were largely replicated in the ban passed on Friday, was unanimously approved by the Senate earlier in December.
Have other countries taken similar actions against TikTok?
Have other countries taken similar actions against TikTok?
While other countries such as Indonesia have imposed temporary bans on TikTok, the largest country that continues to ban the use of the app is India. India has permanently banned TikTok along with more than 50 other Chinese apps after a deadly border dispute with China, citing national security concerns. Read also : Prohibited books: What titles are counted and why. National bans in other countries did not last more than, at most, a few months.
Should we be more worried about TikTok than other apps?
Should we be more worried about TikTok than other apps?
It depends on who you ask. Various digital privacy and civil advocacy groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Fight for the Future say that while the potential for China to exploit access to TikTok is indeed a concern, apps and services other governmental entities, including in the United States, offer similar. access to user data.
“Unless we [are] also going to ban Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and Uber and Grubhub, that’s pointless,” said Fight for the Future director Evan Greer. “Yes, it’s possibly a bit easier for the Chinese government to get access to data through TikTok than other apps, but there are only so many ways governments can get data from apps.”
But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have introduced bills and praised efforts to limit the use of TikTok. In addition to Hawley’s bill, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has introduced a bill to ban the company from operating entirely in the United States. “This is not about creative videos – this is about an app that is collecting data on tens of millions of American children and adults every day,” Rubio said in a press release announcing the bipartisan bill.
Democratic senator Mark Warner of Virginia also encouraged efforts to ban TikTok on government devices and called for more states to “take action to keep our government technology away from the [party’s] CCP Chinese Communist]”.
What are the geopolitical implications of this ban?
What are the geopolitical implications of this ban?
The United States has stepped up its efforts to address potential national security concerns from China over the past few years, including adding more China-based companies and entities to a Department of State blacklist. -trade that limits exports to those firms. The focus on TikTok is part of this larger campaign, but some groups warn that a ban on TikTok will lead to similar moves from China.
“Blank bans on apps based on a company’s foreign ownership will only hurt US businesses in the long run because countries may seek to block US online services out of concern similar on national security,” said Gillian Diebold, a policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation.
Like other privacy advocates, Diebold said that “policymakers should pursue more promising solutions that address the underlying risks.
“For example, to address data concerns, lawmakers should prioritize passing federal privacy legislation to protect consumer data that explicitly requires companies to disclose with whom they share data and hold them accountable for those statements,” Diebold said.
Could the US ever ban TikTok altogether?
Could the US ever ban TikTok outright?
There have been several attempts to ban TikTok from operating in the United States altogether. Rubio’s bill, for example, would block all of the company’s business operations in the United States.
But the viability of such bans has yet to be proven. Trump’s previous attempt to ban new users from downloading TikTok was blocked in court in part because of free speech concerns. EFF general counsel Kurt Opsahl said a total ban is a violation of free speech and while Rubio’s bill and similar proposed laws to ban TikTok allegedly “protect America from the authoritarian government of China”, they actually adopt “one of the characteristics of the Chinese. internet strategy’.
“A government is within its rights to set rules and restrictions on the use of official devices it owns, but trying to ban TikTok from public use is something else entirely,” Opsahl said.
“TikTok’s security, privacy and its relationship with the Chinese government are indeed a concern, but a total ban is not the answer,” he continued. “A blanket ban is not narrowly tailored to the least restrictive means of addressing security and privacy concerns, and instead strikes a censorious blow against the speech of millions of ordinary Americans.”
Which countries ban TikTok?
Other countries
- Afghanistan. In April 2022, a spokesperson for the Taliban government stated that the app would be banned for ‘misleading the younger generation’ and that TikTok’s content was ‘not consistent with Islamic laws’.
- Armenia. …
- Azerbaijan. …
- Bangladesh. …
- Indonesia. …
- Iran. …
- Jordan. …
- Pakistan.
In which countries is TikTok banned?
Is TikTok banned in Germany?
A German government official said the country has seen no signs that the app poses a security risk and has no plans to ban it.
Which country can’t use TikTok?
Although the video sharing app TikTok was developed by the Chinese company Bytedance, it is not available in China. Instead users can download a twin app, Douyin, which was also developed by Bytedance.
Where is TikTok banned 2022?
Governors in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia have all announced bans in the past three weeks. Nebraska banned TikTok from state-issued devices in 2020.
Can TikTok block a device?
We can also block devices to help prevent future accounts from being created. After your first violation, we may take one or more of the following actions. Temporary ban: Depending on the severity of the violation and previous violations, we may suspend your account’s ability to complete any actions on the platform.
How to tell if your device is banned on TikTok? However, there is also a permanent ban on TikTok. It usually occurs when a user has violated multiple policies over a short period of time. If that happens, you will see a message saying that your account has been permanently banned.
Can you get IP banned from TikTok?
Yes, TikTok can ban your device’s IP if you repeatedly commit serious violations of the platform’s community guidelines. You can appeal IP bans by contacting their customer support team directly.
How long does a TikTok device ban last?
Shadow TikTok bans last around 1-4 weeks.
How long does TikTok temporarily suspended your account?
You will be temporarily suspended from the platform when you display inappropriate content or advocate for things that violate community guidelines. Consequently, you will be banned from using the live stream for 24-72 hours, sometimes seven days.
Why has my TikTok account been temporarily suspended? Accounts that consistently violate the Community Guidelines will be banned from TikTok. If your account has been banned, you will receive a banner notification the next time you open the app, informing you of this account change. If you believe your account has been wrongly banned, let us know by submitting an appeal.
How long is temporarily suspended on TikTok?
In some cases, we may restrict your account to a view-only experience (typically between 72 hours and a week). This means that your account cannot post, send direct messages (DM), or engage with content during that time.
Why isn t TikTok working?
If TikTok is not working, try restarting the app, check for updates, test your internet connection, or clear the app’s data and cache.
How to update TikTok 2022?
Why is TikTok glitching 2022?
It is natural for TikTok users to encounter the above-mentioned issues as they are usually caused by cache over-accumulation, faulty update or device-specific problems. What is this? Updating the TikTok app also helps to solve many issues as app updates usually bring along bug fixes.
