The possibility of a TikTok ban in the U.S. is in the hands of the Supreme Court and there are varied responses ranging from protest to finding new platforms. A law passed requires the sale of the popular app to a U.S. entity but has stirred controversy regarding the constitutionality.
Potential Outcomes and Deadlines
A ban has a set date of January 19 and if a decision against TikTok happens it would require all providers to drop it from their systems. The date came about after a new law was signed by President Joe Biden in April requiring TikTok's sale to a U.S. based company. There is still a chance the law could be seen as unconstitutional but the potential outcome to force TikTok out of the US by this deadline creates large issues for all involved.
Implications of the Law
If there is not an alternative decision all third party apps would have to adhere by not being able to host TikTok content from that date going forward. If the court sides with banning, a very large portion of mobile app users will no longer have access. This affects businesses and creators across all areas of media. The company also stated that if the court rules against it that the platform will “go dark” which includes those that are already installed.
Reactions and New Platforms
A potential ban has led many U.S. based social media users and creators to look for other Avenues such as RedNote which is popular Chinese platform also known as Xiaohongshu. The hashtag “TikTok Refugee” has almost 250 million views highlighting the mass migration of viewers seeking other venues. The influx of new users from outside China has brought on a new form of digital connection between both areas.
Xiaohongshu aka RedNote:
The Chinese based app gained a massive influx of U.S. based users within days and they joined for their content format similarity which gave a method to express themselves as they did before. While there it offers e commerce recommendations for fashion and lifestyle tips. Chinese users for the most part have shown welcome by offering guidance with tips and language translation. This influx has also brought a sense of cultural sharing and dialogue between cultures. The fast paced surge has led to new technical additions to be added in quickly by RedNote.
User Actions and Political Views
Some users viewed it as an act of defiance and protested that banning the platform isn't something many Americans agreed to. Some even have called it an infringement upon civil liberties while others use it for purely informative means. However other American creators were aware of other platforms they used like Meta and decided not to use them.
Privacy Concerns
Many cybersecurity experts advise that RedNote is very similar to the previous platform in concerns. It can obtain user location, browsing habits, and more with similar rules and also similar Chinese regulations regarding privacy. In addition, it has few transparency rules and limited user controls in their own usage of data and security. This brings more complicated issues to viewers that care about their information and how that information is being used.
Potential Business Outcomes
The large platform of TikTok generated over 12 billion in advertising revenue creating opportunity for companies who will see the largest gain if such a ban was to occur. If the app did get banned this could cause revenue to move to major companies like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube who all already have formats similar to TikTok as alternative solutions.
Other Alternative Apps
Other Chinese social media app options also have an increase in the market with another ByteDance owned app called "Lemon8" taking an increase in downloads on the Apple App store. While being created as a life style platform it has short videos and is similar to other platforms of the parent company.
The Possibility of a Sale and What that Means
Various buyers have shown interest in the U.S. sector of TikTok to which ByteDance previously remained reluctant. If they have to sell due to these restrictions, Multiple companies are vying for the platform and many are concerned about their data which would be attached to any new purchase. In addition some see the removal of data from its original algorithm a loss for the user experience as this makes TikTok the unique product that it is.
What A Sale Would Look Like
Though a purchase was called "pure fiction" earlier. With the potentiality of TikTok being forced to make a sale in order to avoid a total ban creates interest for large companies. Even with a possibility of that sale this does not include the proprietary code so the app in reality would not be the same as before the sale. Also a president that publicly wants to stall out the court cases creates a lot of speculation as to what that could mean moving forward.
Uncertain Future and User Impact
With a potential ban viewers have no clarity for the short term future of TikTok’s application within U.S. Borders. Even if the app stays around it can face limitations in being updated while being susceptible to increased cyber risk as well. With the multiple angles facing TikTok the question remains: What does all this mean for creators and businesses? For them it will depend on many technical, legal and ethical decisions to determine the app's availability going forward.
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. is in the process of potentially banning the TikTok app which will heavily impact all mobile users.
- In response users have flocked to platforms similar such as Chinese RedNote/Xiaohongshu.
- The ban on Tik Tok may have a great financial impact that can benefit platforms like YouTube, Meta and other streaming options.
- If the ban is lifted or a change occurs by the government that allows the sale of TikTok and how those deals may have additional consequences to user experience.
- Multiple aspects including technical, security and personal data rights must be considered due to how social media and platforms are being challenged by governing powers and companies who use personal data.