TikTok banned

A recent ban of TikTok use on U.S. government-owned devices, coupled with new legislation in Congress seeking to block the app, have fueled expectations the ...

TikTok is likely to challenge any attempt to ban the app. Considered the most likely to succeed, the Act would still likely take at least several months before it could garner enough support for a successful vote and the president's signature. But the bills, one in the House of Representatives and the other in the Senate, still need companion bills in the other chamber, as well as enough support to pass both houses and then President Joe Biden's signature. "Banning the app - or any like it - would likely still be challenged under the First Amendment. But Trump's attempt to block TikTok with an executive order derived its power from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In August, he issued two executive orders, one banning the app and another demanding Bytedance sell its U.S.

TikTok is the fastest growing app on the planet with more than 150 million monthly users in the U.S. alone. But that popularity does not extend to Capitol ...

That said, as I mentioned at the outset, young users or whomever who is using TikTok should be aware that their privacy is not adequately protected. But the Chinese government could just as easily — there are data brokers who are happy to share information about Americans with whoever pays them, including China. Here, it looks as though Biden might have Congress behind him. But, legally, how would the U.S. Now, I understand it's no complete guarantee that China will never be able to access Americans' data, but it does seem to be a compromise position, as opposed to a ban or forced sale. And so the third option that TikTok is presenting, which they have nicknamed Project Texas, would keep American data on American soil. From one day to the next, if it's gone, you said your income would be cut in half. At least half of Alex's income comes from his work on the app. We may not always agree on how to get there, but we care about our national security. I'm trying to, like, put on a good face. government ban the platform. TikTok is the fastest growing app on the planet with more than 150 million monthly users in the U.S.

WeChat has 19 million users in the US and is a lifeline for people across the Chinese diaspora.

But TikTok isn’t the only Chinese tech company with a huge user base in the US. Three proposed pieces of legislation—the [DATA Act](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/proposed-bill-would-give-biden-the-power-to-ban-tiktok/), the [RESTRICT Act,](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/restrict-act-bill-tiktok-rcna73682) and the [ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act](https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2023/02/10/anti-social-ccp-act-would-ban-tiktok-in-the-united-states/?sh=56f02e405b6d)—all take aim at foreign companies that process Americans’ data. Many of them, like Zhou’s mother, depend on the app to stay connected to family overseas and to the tight-knit Chinese communities in the States. TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew is [due to testify before Congress today](https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew-congress-testimony/). [told TikTok](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-threatens-to-ban-tiktok-if-chinese-founder-doesnt-sell-ownership-stake-36d7295c) that it faces a total ban if it doesn’t sever ties with China. Jimmy Zhou is a New Yorker; his mother, in her seventies, moved to the United States from Dongguan, China, in 1982, a few years before he was born.

The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, testified in front of Congress today after growing calls to ban TikTok. Here is why people want to ban TikTok and how it ...

In addition to this, some colleges and universities have [blocked access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi](https://compliance.utexas.edu/tiktok-removal-policy). In another instance, Facebook’s algorithm was shown to worsen the persecution of the Rohingya people in 2017, [according to Amnesty International](https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/facebook-systems-promoted-violence-against-rohingya/). [Cambridge Analytica scandal](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/the-cambridge-analytica-scandal-in-three-paragraphs/556046/) provided information of roughly 50 million Facebook users to the voter profile firm, thus potentially impacting the results of the U.S. In this way of enacting the ban, the app would still remain on phones where it had already been installed, but it would become unstable and eventually unusable as the company would be unable to publish updates. TikTok users](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/technology/byte-dance-tik-tok-internal-investigation.html) who were journalists. [FBI](https://apnews.com/article/technology-china-united-states-national-security-government-and-politics-ac5c29cafaa1fc6bee990ed7e1fe5afc) and the [Federal Communications Commission](https://www.fcc.gov/document/carr-welcomes-tiktok-ban-federal-devices) have both warned that TikTok could share users’ information with the Chinese government. As a result, the company is now [being investigated by the Justice Department](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-fbi-are-investigating-tiktok-allegations-employees-spied-journalis-rcna75497). On Thursday morning, TikTok CEO [Shou Zi Chew testified in Congress](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/technology/tiktok-congress-hearing.html) amid growing uncertainty around the app. TikTok has also faced lawsuits from parents who’ve claimed the app encouraged [eating disorders in their children](https://www.thedailybeast.com/tiktok-hit-with-another-lawsuit-over-teens-eating-disorders). [interested in anime](https://www.polygon.com/22822382/one-piece-tiktok-meme-bumper-music-anime), looking for the [wildest mashups](https://www.polygon.com/23582814/harder-better-faster-whopper-tiktok-undertale) you’ve ever heard, or just there for [sheer entertainment](https://www.polygon.com/23541237/apple-tv-suggestions-speedrun-tiktok-marmaduke-minions), the expansiveness of the app has allowed it to become the defining social media platform of an entire generation. TikTok is owned by the China-based company ByteDance, and American legislators have expressed concerns that TikTok could exploit user data to spy on its American users and feed them misinformation. teens](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/) say they use the app, out of over [150 million American users](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/150-m-us-users).

What to know about today's TikTok hearing · TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee for roughly five hours. · Members ...

Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/tiktok-lands-major-ally-congress-rep-jamaal-bowman-ban-rcna75753), Rep. The Chinese-owned platform has won over Rep. She added that TikTok has been “caught repeatedly in lies” about its connection to ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party. [Bowman ](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/tiktok-lands-major-ally-congress-rep-jamaal-bowman-ban-rcna75753)and Rep. Among them appear to be several TikTok creators who attended a rally yesterday in support of the app. He told Chew that TikTok should invest more resources "to pull down damaging and deadly information" from the platform. Chew denied that TikTok provided users’ precise GPS data to the Chinese government. Chew confirmed that TikTok collected precise GPS data from users "back in 2020," but that the app no longer does this. And I think quite frankly, your testimony has raised more questions for me than answers," Rep. The hearing was led by the committee chair, Rep. Chew replied that it’s a “high-profile” hearing and that people from around the world had wished him well. The company calls the plan “Project Texas,” which is a $1.5 billion program that includes a contract with the Austin, Texas-based Oracle to store data from the app’s American users.

Parliament is to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from “all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network”, citing the need for ...

“Currently there is limited use of TikTok within government and limited need for staff to use the app on work devices. That means that MPs and parliamentary staff who continue to have TikTok installed on personal devices will find the service blocked if they try to access it over parliamentary wifi. It does not extend to personal devices used by staff or the general public.” Multiple MPs have been outspoken about their desire to continue posting on the social video app even in the wake of the government’s ban. An American decision to ban federal employees from installing TikTok on work devices kicked off a wave of similar bans around the world. [TikTok](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/tiktok) from “all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network”, citing the need for cybersecurity.

CEO Shou Zi Chew struggled to convince skeptical lawmakers that the app protects user data as momentum builds for banning the app over national security ...

[new CBS News poll](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-opinion-poll-2023-03-22/) found that most Americans say that TikTok's ties to China pose a security risk, and those who do would like to see the video-sharing app banned in the U.S. [several bills](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-ban-democrats-china-challenge/) that would empower the administration to ban TikTok nationwide. The chief executive told the panel that TikTok is building "what amounts to a firewall that seals off protected U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access," including the establishment of a new corporate entity to oversee U.S. Neal Dunn of Florida about a report by Forbes in 2022 that revealed a group of ByteDance employees in Beijing had planned to "monitor the personal location of some specific American citizens." Data Security is incorporated in the U.S. The Justice Department is said to be [investigating](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-bytedance-justice-department-investigation-spying/) ByteDance for possible spying on U.S. Some of that old data is still held in servers in Virginia and Singapore that could be accessed by engineers in China, according to Chew. "You damn well know that you cannot protect the data and security of this committee or the 150 million users of your app because it is an extension of the CCP," Cammack told Chew. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the committee's chair, said they "do not trust that TikTok will ever embrace American values." [Shou Zi Chew](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew/) struggled to reassure lawmakers that the massively popular social video app doesn't pose a risk to its 150 million users nor share user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Members of both parties spent hours denouncing TikTok's data collection practices and painting it as a tool used by the Chinese government to track and spy on Americans.

A number of House Democrats — and at least a few senators — remain unconvinced that singling out the Chinese-owned app is the best course of action.

Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), another Democrat on the House E&C Committee, said “no one wants a ban” — on her side of the aisle, at least. “We’re a little closer to the people,” Pocan said. That includes Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who declined to answer questions this week on the wisdom of a TikTok ban. “I think the politics of a TikTok ban are to do the right thing and protect our national security,” said Sen. “We have to treat them as a serious rival, and that means you don’t let them have access to all our young people are thinking and doing.” But given TikTok’s popularity with Generation Z, she said a ban “could have possible repercussions for our party.” He added that the Biden administration’s new plan to force TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the app or be banned “ought to be welcomed by everyone — regardless of their age.” Some Senate Democrats remain skeptical of a TikTok ban, especially if it comes at the expense of broader privacy reforms. Flanked by two of his fellow House Democrats and roughly two dozen TikTok “creators” flown to Washington by the social media giant, Bowman accused Senate Democrats who back a ban of stoking xenophobia and hurting the estimated 150 million Americans who use the app each month. But a fracture on TikTok complicates efforts to present a united front against China, and could provide cover for the small number of influential Senate Democrats who are less gung-ho about a ban. And because TikTok users tend to skew younger, he warned against provoking a backlash that could land disproportionately on the Democratic Party. “TikTok has become a proxy in the escalating tensions with China,” said Rep.

France bans recreational apps from work phones of civil servants, in a move targetting TikTok but impacting other social media and content apps.

The personal devices of civil servants are not included in the ban. congressional hearing, amid growing momentum for the platform to be banned in the country. The ministry said the list of banned apps would be updated in step with the evolving offering of apps on the market.

(Bloomberg) -- A growing number of governments are banning TikTok from official phones, as concerns grow over security threats posed by the Chinese-owned ...

A growing number of governments are banning TikTok from official phones, as concerns grow over security threats posed by the Chinese-owned social media ...

After TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified for more than five hours on Thursday before a Congressional committee, one thing was clear: US lawmakers remain ...

He also repeatedly noted that TikTok does not collect more user data than most of its peers in the industry. [spying on journalists](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2022/12/22/tiktok-tracks-forbes-journalists-bytedance/?sh=25816fc27da5), snooping on their user data and IP addresses to find out when or if certain reporters were sharing the same location as company employees. That does not necessarily excuse TikTok or its peers for using a keylogger in the first place, but neither is it proof positive that TikTok’s product, by itself, is any more of a national security threat than other websites. [studies](https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/privacy/tiktok-tracks-you-across-the-web-even-if-you-dont-use-app-a4383537813/) that report TikTok is tracking users around the internet even when they are not using the app. And in this respect, TikTok is not unique: the same tool is used by US tech giants including Facebook-parent Meta and Google on a far larger scale, according to [Malwarebytes](https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2022/10/tiktoks-secret-operation-tracks-you-even-if-you-dont-use-it), a leading cybersecurity firm. By embedding tracking pixels on third-party websites, TikTok can collect information about a website’s visitors, the [studies](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/tiktok-data-app-report/story?id=97913249) have found. [has said](https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/19/tiktok-fb-in-app-browser-tracking-analysis/) the keylogging function is used for “debugging, troubleshooting, and performance monitoring,” as well as to detect bots and spam. Technical experts also draw a distinction between the TikTok app — which appears to operate very similarly to American social media in the amount of user tracking and data collection it performs — and TikTok’s approach to governance and ownership. “Citizen Lab is saying they cannot prove a negative, which is what I’ve been trying to do for the last four hours,” he said. The following year, Pellaeon Lin, a Taiwan-based researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, performed [another technical analysis](https://citizenlab.ca/2021/03/tiktok-vs-douyin-security-privacy-analysis/) that reached similar conclusions. As the hearing was taking place, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he supports legislation that would effectively ban TikTok; Secretary of State Antony Blinken said TikTok should be “ended one way or another,” and the Treasury Department issued a statement vowing to “safeguard national security,” without mentioning TikTok by name. “The context for TikTok is much worse as trust in China vanishes.”

Congress has in the past placed restrictions on access to digital public squares in the name of public safety and national security.

[Christopher Wray](https://apnews.com/article/technology-china-united-states-national-security-government-and-politics-ac5c29cafaa1fc6bee990ed7e1fe5afc) warned that the CCP could use TikTok’s algorithms for “influence operations,” i.e. Also, it’s well established that the CCP seeks to militarize its [artificial intelligence](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3783219) capabilities, and we have to assume TikTok is part of that strategy if the Chinese government can use it in this way. [Data Security Law](http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/c23934/202112/1abd8829788946ecab270e469b13c39c.shtml), which allows the government to regulate private companies’ practices for storing and managing information in China if they collect “core data” — a broad term that means anything Beijing sees as a national or security concern. For example, the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act allowed the Department of Justice to shut down District judge Wendy Beetlestone](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/business/tiktok-injunction-ban.html) found that the order exceeded the president’s authority under the IEEPA. District Court judge Carl Nicolas](https://www.scribd.com/document/487297119/Case-1-20-cv-02658-CJN-Document-60-Filed-12-07-20?irclickid=WPaxJpTP9xyNTcMwC40IP2k6UkARE3zFUUjpXY0&irpid=10078&utm_source=impact&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=affiliate_pdm_acquisition_Skimbit%20Ltd.&sharedid=theverge.com&irgwc=1) granted TikTok’s request to halt enforcement because he felt that the order “likely overstepped” its use of presidential emergency powers “and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner by failing to consider obvious alternatives.” Thus, the courts granted TikTok’s request to stay enforcement. What’s more, as even the harshest critics agree, it would be a content-neutral way of banning TikTok. Given that the courts’ primary concerns were in the wording of the IEEPA, they are easily rectifiable by an act of Congress. Pallone was not convinced, saying, “I still believe that the Beijing communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do.” TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. Currently, the FBI and Justice Department are Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, perfectly summed up in Thursday’s hearing: “We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values — values for freedom, human rights and innovation.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's testimony before Congress on Thursday appears to have done little to allay Washington's concerns about whether the social media ...

"Mobile apps in the U.S. [two journalists](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/us/politics/tik-tok-spying-justice-dept.html) in an attempt to locate a sensitive information leak, the New York Times has reported. "It would be obviously unconstitutional for the United States to shut down communications with American citizens because they disagree with the content." "The No. But the list of suitors for TikTok could be short, with the service likely costing between $40 billion and $100 billion, according to It had previously put together a bid for TikTok in 2020, when the government may be encouraging is for TikTok to spin off from its Beijing parent so it can be acquired by a U.S. One law and technology expert said any TikTok ban wouldn't kick in immediately, since the video platform and some users would likely challenge it in court. Prior to the TikTok chief exective's testimony this week, ByteDance had planned to remain a single company, while segregating data for American users of the app into a separate U.S.-based facility run by Oracle and routing any requests for that info through a data-security board. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews transactions that could affect national security, has been pressuring ByteDance to spin off its U.S. In five hours of grueling [bipartisan questioning](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-hearing-ceo-shou-zi-chew-house-committee-testimony/), lawmakers seemed skeptical that the app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, could be made safe for domestic users. "[A]n outright sale or ban is looking increasingly likely in the next 12-18 months."

From U.S.-China relations, to the parents of phone-addicted teenagers, the victims and beneficiaries run the gamut if TikTok disappears.

TikTok has said a sale wouldn’t solve security concerns, and has instead proposed to the Biden administration [a $1.5-billion plan ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-ceos-message-to-washington-a-sale-wont-solve-security-concerns-94a86?mod=article_inline)that it says would silo its U.S. [sell their stakes ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-threatens-to-ban-tiktok-if-chinese-founder-doesnt-sell-ownership-stake-36d7295c?mod=article_inline)or face a possible ban of the app, The Wall Street Journal reported in mid March. [30% off eBay coupon](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/ebay) [10% TopResume Discount Code for expert resume-writing services](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/topresume) H&R Block Coupon Code](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/hrblock) It has given small businesses a new way to reach potential customers and caused anxiety among national-security experts and lawmakers in Washington.

PARIS (AP) — France announced Friday it is banning the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other apps on government employees' phones ...

There’s no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects. The ban will be monitored by France’s cybersecurity agency. But the French decision also encompassed other platforms widely used by government officials, lawmakers and President Emmanuel Macron himself. lawmakers](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-ceo-congressional-hearing-bytedance-china-44d948c5b0ba18e2a714e0fa62d52779) Thursday. [restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-china-62ebef6be3c10e66d7f69f7f6d254700?utm_source=apnews&utm_medium=relatedcontentmodule) amid fears about the popular video-sharing app's Chinese connections. [concern about insufficient data security measures](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew-security-risk-cc36f36801d84fc0652112fa461ef140).

France will ban the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of civil servants, Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini said on his ...

Register for free to Reuters and know the full story He added that for several weeks, several of France's European and international partners have adopted measures to restrict or ban the downloading and installation of the TikTok application by their administrations. "In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants," he said in a statement.

Both the White House and U.S. Congress have been exploring different options to further regulate the app, including a general ban.

[would allow](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/restrict-act-bill-tiktok-rcna73682) the U.S. It was [legally blocked](https://www.npr.org/2020/12/07/944039053/u-s-judge-halts-trumps-tiktok-ban-the-2nd-court-to-fully-block-the-action) in court. [Insider](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/restrict-act-bill-tiktok-rcna73682), at least 27 U.S. If you see any claims you think we should fact-check about TikTok regulations, you can send them using our [contact form](https://www.snopes.com/contact/) or by emailing [email protected]. [an executive order](https://www.npr.org/2020/08/06/900019185/trump-signs-executive-order-that-will-effectively-ban-use-of-tiktok-in-the-u-s) that imposed wide-ranging sanctions on TikTok. [reportedly](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-threatens-to-ban-tiktok-if-chinese-founder-doesnt-sell-ownership-stake-36d7295c) threatened a potential TikTok ban if ByteDance, the Chinese company that owned the app at the time of publication, refused to sell the company. states had banned the app from government devices at the time of this publication, including Texas, North Carolina, and Maryland. [cited](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/21/1165210054/tiktok-ceo-to-lawmakers-americans-data-not-at-risk) national security concerns over TikTok being owned by Chinese company ByteDance as the reason for a potential ban. [said](https://twitter.com/kiracantmizz/status/1639000687223754767?s=20) above a photograph of a person breaking chains from wrists. Such a sale would have to be approved by China's government due to the country's [export regulations](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/23/china-reminds-us-that-it-can-and-will-kill-a-forced-tiktok-sale/). A bi-partisan Senate bill that the White House endorsed in March 2023 could give the federal government the power to generally ban TikTok for U.S. [banned](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-ban-biden-government-college-state-federal-security-privacy-rcna63724) in December 2021 from being used on U.S.

On the eve of a high-profile TikTok hearing this week, the company shared that it now has more than 150 million US monthly active users.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing and subject to Chinese data request laws that could require it to hand over user data to the government. For now, talk of a TikTok ban may still be premature. Meanwhile, Dubsmach – a Reddit-owned short video platform – and Clash, which allows people to create 21-second looping videos, are other platforms that could be increasingly appealing to creators. Raja Krishnamoorthi told CNN during a primetime special about TikTok on Thursday. On the eve of a high-profile TikTok hearing this week, the company shared that it now has more than 150 million US monthly active users. Even if a ban does not happen, it could still benefit these companies.

The move Friday follows similar restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries amid fears about the popular video-sharing app's Chinese connections.

There’s no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects. The company’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, pushed back on assertions that TikTok or ByteDance are tools of the Chinese government during questioning by U.S. The company has been reiterating that 60% of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors.

The ban of Enes Kanter Freedom lasted 12 days, until TikTok's CEO was being grilled on Capitol Hill.

Freedom said he had meetings scheduled Friday with members of the House committee on China. In 2021, he was traded from the Boston Celtics and then released from playing, which he has argued was in retaliation for his China criticism. Instead of a “three-strike” policy, TikTok’s system applies different weights to violations based on their severity and bans accounts that surpass a certain threshold. So what are those messages, and how do they relate to the undermining of the U.S.A.?” [TikTok account](https://www.tiktok.com/@enesfreedom), where he has 362,000 followers and more than 6 million likes, to post about the episode. Freedom has often used his social media accounts to criticize the Chinese state. The lawmaker said the episode underscored the national security risks of allowing a company based in China to own one of America’s most popular apps. TikTok restored the August Pfluger (R-Tex.), who spoke with Freedom before the congressional hearing, asked Chew about the ban during a heated line of questioning in which Pfluger also asked whether Chew supported genocide. Freedom appealed the ban shortly after but was told that TikTok reviewers had determined his account would not be restored. (Chew said he did not.) They declined to say how the error occurred or what rules Freedom’s videos had allegedly violated.