On December 28, members of the United States Congress and their employees were banned from using the TikTok video app on their work cell phones. “House staff are NOT allowed to download the TikTok app on any of the House’s mobile devices,” reads a memo issued by Catherine Szpindor, the House’s administrative director. “TikTok is NOT allowed on House mobile devices. If you have the TikTok app on your House mobile device, you will be contacted to remove it,” the document added, citing “a number of security risks” as the basis for the measure.
The move comes as the US government steps up efforts to curb an app owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Last week, Congress approved a $1.7 trillion spending package that includes requirements for the Joe Biden administration to ban most uses of TikTok or any other app made by its owner – with exceptions for national security, law enforcement and research purposes. The president signed the bill on Thursday while on vacation in the Virgin Islands.
Prior to the spending package, at least 19 states, most of them governed by Republicans, had already taken action to block apps on government devices because of the same security concerns. The state of Indiana has even sued TikTok, claiming that the video-sharing platform misleads its users, especially children, about the level of inappropriate content and the security of consumer information. And on December 13, Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida introduced a bipartisan bill called the Antisocial CCP Act. The law’s name, a reverse-engineered acronym targeting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), stands for “Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party.”
A few weeks earlier, in an article published in The Washington Post, signed with Congressman Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin), Rubio wrote: “The application can track the location of mobile phone users and collect Internet browsing data – even when users visit unrelated websites.” “That TikTok, and by extension, the CCP, has the ability to scrutinize every keystroke that teenagers type on their phones is worrying,” the two lawmakers wrote, pointing out that China’s 2017 National Intelligence Act requires organizations and citizens to “support, help and cooperate” with the work of state intelligence. The article continued, “With this app, Beijing can also collect sensitive national security information from U.S. government employees and develop profiles of millions of Americans that can be used for blackmail or espionage.”
The love-hate relationship between ByteDance and the United States is nothing new. In the summer of 2020, former US President Donald Trump ordered TikTok to be blocked. But when Biden came to power, he rescinded Trump’s executive order that gave ByteDance 45 days to divest ownership of the app. However, it was not a drastic change of course. The Biden administration continues to view TikTok with concern. Since its inception in 2016, TikTok has had a huge impact on the culture of the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, it is the second most used platform among American teenagers after YouTube. There are now over 136.5 million TikTok accounts in the US, and in 2021 the app had more visits than Google.
But while the standoff between the US and ByteDance dates back to 2020, it intensified as relations between Beijing and Washington turned frostier. Upon entering the White House, Biden ordered the United States Foreign Investment Commission (CFIUS) – which is responsible for monitoring trade deals with non-US companies – to investigate whether TikTok poses a threat to US national security. According to The Wall Street Journal, committee members are being pressured to push for the sale of TikTok as a way to address the security problems it poses.
Following the ban on TikTok on federal government devices, TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said the company was “disappointed” by the move, which she described as “a political gesture that will in no way advance national security interests.” The company has repeatedly tried to downplay concerns about its handling of private data, claiming that US user data is not stored in China, that such information is not shared with the Chinese government, and that it is actually based in the Cayman Islands – not Beijing. In a statement, Oberwetter said the CFIUS deal, which is still under review, “will significantly address any security concerns that have been raised at both the federal and state levels.”
TikTok, meanwhile, is investing more to portray an image of playing by the rules – even as evidence is mounting to the contrary. Last week, an internal investigation found that several ByteDance employees had access to the data of US journalists. The Chinese tech firm has had an office in Washington for years, and the amount it has spent on federal lobbying has increased from $370,000 in 2019 to $4.28 million in 2022, according to U.S. policy.
Cybersecurity specialist Brian Grayek, who has worked with the US secret service on several investigations, believes banning TikTok on federal government devices doesn’t go far enough. In an email to EL PAÍS, he indicated that the ban would not apply to relatives or spouses of House staff or members of the US military or intelligence. Moreover, according to Grayek, few TikTok users are aware of the security risks of the platform.
For example, TikTok user Victoria Jameson recently encouraged her 970,000 followers to keep posting videos and not give in to “negative energy”. However, she did advise creators to back up their content in case the app suddenly went down, as it did when short video site Vine went out of business in 2016.
Politicians are also reluctant to abandon TikTok, knowing that the app is one of the best ways to reach Gen Z voters who are hard to mobilize. The White House used influencers to spread its message on issues such as US involvement in the war in Ukraine and initiatives Biden to lower inflation. The strength of Twitter was also seen during the run of John Fetterman for the Senate in the midterm elections in November. The Democratic candidate from Pennsylvania, who suffered a stroke during the campaign, skillfully used social media to win over voters. He has nearly 242 million followers on TikTok, and he was elected to the Senate in one of the upcoming election races. His last post on TikTok was on November 13.
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While both are owned by ByteDance, Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – offers a different version of the social app that is off limits to the rest of the world, especially children.
How much does TikTok make per hour?
| Annual salary | hourly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest earner | $85,500 | $41 |
| 75th percentile | $60,000 | $29 |
| Average | $50,567 | $24 |
| 25th percentile | $34,000 | $16 |
How much does TikTok earn? TikTok has rapidly increased its revenue generation over the past few years. In 2021, it generated $4.6 billion, up 142% year-on-year.
How much does TikTok pay per 1,000 views?
As for the TikTok Creator Fund, you can earn between 2 and 4 cents for every 1,000 views. This means you can expect to pay between $20 and $40 when you hit one million views.
How much does TikTok pay per view?
The company also pays users directly through its Creator Fund and TikTok Pulse advertising program. To see also : US to impose mandatory COVID-19 tests for travelers from China. Fund payouts and ad revenue share range from a few cents to around $8 per 1,000 impressions.
Does TikTok sell data to China?
TikTok has just admitted to European users that it can share their data with the Chinese government. This is a huge admission and the key to the puzzle. See the article : The wisdom of US restraint in Russia. To understand why, it is important to understand the CCP’s influence on Chinese companies (thread). We already knew that TikTok employees based in China could view US data.
Does China Still Own TikTok? TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, is used by over 1 billion people worldwide every month.
Does TikTok sell your data?
We are committed to maintaining your trust, and while TikTok does not sell your personal information or share it with third parties for the purposes of cross-contextual behavioral advertising, where restricted by applicable law, we want you to understand when and with whom we may share information that we may share. This may interest you : US Partnership in the Pacific Islands: 2022 Summit of Pacific Island Leaders – US State Department. .
Does TikTok support China?
They note that TikTok isn’t even available in China, although ByteDance offers a similar service, Douyin, that looks and works the same.
Does TikTok give your data to China?
She also reiterated that TikTok had said it would “under no circumstances give this data to China” and denied that TikTok was influenced by China in any way.
Is TikTok separate from Douyin?
TikTok is the international version of Douyin that was launched in the Chinese market in September 2016. It launched in 2017 for iOS and Android in most markets outside mainland China; however, it only became available globally after being connected to another Chinese social network, Musical.ly, on August 2, 2018.
Does China really own TikTok? The application is owned by ByteDance, based in Beijing. And FBI director Chris Wray told lawmakers yesterday that the Chinese government could use the app to influence users or control their devices.
Is there a separate Chinese TikTok?
While both are owned by ByteDance, Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – offers a different version of the social app that is off limits to the rest of the world, especially children.
Did Douyin copy TikTok?
Known as the international version of the successful Chinese short video app Douyin, TikTok is a global hit. Despite Bytedance’s efforts to present Douyin and TikTok as the same product, they are actually two separate entities.
