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But TikTok’s success — and its standing as the first Chinese-owned social media platform to garner widespread adoption outdoors its dwelling market — is trying more and more tenuous.
“One of the things that troubles me about it is, it’s something that is counter to the spirit of the internet,” mentioned Mark Lemley, a legislation professor at Stanford who teaches web legislation.
“I think something significant is lost there if the only apps we get are US apps or apps from approved countries. We lose out as consumers on technology that people like … but in the long run the US also loses out economically, because we have been the great driver of the Internet.”
Possible hassle forward
TikTok has already misplaced entry to considered one of the world’s largest digital markets.
Now, Trump administration officers are contemplating the same measure.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed Fox News’ Laura Ingraham earlier this month that the White House is “looking at” banning Chinese apps, together with TikTok, and mentioned US officers are “taking this very seriously.” Pompeo added that folks ought to solely obtain TikTok “if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
On Wednesday, Pompeo mentioned, “we hope to have a set of decisions shortly” close to the app.
“We’re working through a process where all the relevant agencies and the private sector are getting to say their piece,” Pompeo mentioned in a stay interview with The Hill. “Whether it’s TikTok or any of the other Chinese communications platforms, apps, infrastructure, this administration has taken seriously the requirement to protect the American people from having their information end up in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“Due to concerns about TikTok’s privacy and security controls and practices, and because corporate-owned devices should be used for company business only, we have directed those employees to remove the app from their devices,” an announcement from a Wells Fargo spokesperson mentioned.
Forced to handle safety considerations
For its half, TikTok says it operates individually from ByteDance.
The firm is additionally shortly increasing its presence in Washington DC. Beckerman mentioned the firm is creating so-called “Transparency Centers” in the nation’s capital and in Los Angeles “so that lawmakers and invited experts can see for themselves how we moderate content and keep our users’ data secure.”
“We remain fully committed to protecting our users’ privacy and security as we build a platform that inspires creativity and brings joy for hundreds of millions of people around the world,” a TikTok spokesperson mentioned in an announcement to CNN final week.
Stanford’s Lemley mentioned the app’s devoted teen fanbase may additionally find yourself proving useful.
“Is there a revolt among the teenagers of the world?” Lemley mentioned. “I say that jokingly, but only half jokingly. If a bunch of congressmen go to their teenagers and say they’ve banned their favorite app, there might be a lot of pushback and that could matter.”
Competition able to pounce
Indian corporations are additionally seeking to profit. One homegrown video-sharing app, Roposo, mentioned that earlier than the TikTok ban was introduced, it had recorded 50 million downloads since its 2014 launch. After the announcement, the firm mentioned it obtained one other 22 million downloads in simply two days.
And whereas TikTok is nonetheless totally practical in the United States, some creators on the app are already attempting to transition their audiences to different platforms, together with Instagram and YouTube, in anticipation of a ban.
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