Jan. 19 is a date everyone is familiar with by now. The ban on the app TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has taken the media by storm. The app was first launched in 2014 under the name Music.ly. It gained popularity amongst young teens and young adults.
In 2016, TikTok was introduced. Music.ly was the social media app that everyone used. It was a way for people to express themselves and share entertaining content. TikTok only blossomed in popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. People created relatable videos during the quarantine. It was a way to cure boredom.
The TikTok ban is being proposed due to the supposed threat to national security. The US Department of Defense has said that China wants to be able to access private information to achieve information dominance. The ban would be the first in the United States since no app has ever been banned in the country.
The United States’ concern about national security has been no stranger to any of its citizens since Sept. 11, 2001. Since 9/11, the United States and its commitment to national security has been far more aggressive.
In response to the claims of the national security threat in the US, TikTok created Project Texas. Project Texas is an initiative to protect and store US user data on the app. The project has five key focuses:
Independent Governance
Data Protection and Access Control
Monitoring and Compliance
Content Assurance
Software Assurance
Independent Governance
TikTok has ensured that the company is owned by multiple people from different countries including the US. Because of this TikTok created the subsector called United States Data Security (USDS). Andy Bonillo and Will Farrell, a security officer, both run the USDS. Both Bonillo and Farrell have had experience working with the United States government in cyber security.
Data Protection and Access Control
Safeguarding the data of US users on TikTok must be balanced and matched globally. Oracle, a US-based software company, is used as an additional guard for US users’ private information. Every time data attempts to leave, it is closely monitored and sorted through. Only certain pieces of data are allowed to be released, including certain business analyses and certain data related to emergencies.
Monitoring and Compliance
The USDS uses the saying “see something, say something” when referring to national security. The USDS and Oracle are committed to ensuring that TikTok complies with their commitments and promises. This means if it is found that any violation of the privacy agreement presents itself, every group involved has a legal obligation to report such incidents to the government.
Content Assurance
The algorithm embedded inside TikTok is meant to provide users with videos relative to the ones they have liked, shared and watched to the end. They have also included content moderation systems. This allows videos to be moderated based on content. All videos are reviewed by both machine and human moderators. If the video posted does not follow community guidelines it will be flagged and removed from the platform.
Software Assurance
Every single strand of code goes through an intense test and inspection including ongoing updates to existing code. Only validated and approved codes will be allowed to work within the app. Once approved after dynamic, static, and manual testing and review, the app will be sent to app stores.
Politics and Power
“I think it’s more of a power move,” sophomore Kaleb Kelly said.
The speculations of this being a move of power have been raised.
Politics has been an ongoing topic in the lives of many. In 2019, an investigation provided by the Peterson Institute for International Economics concluded that TikTok was a Huawei-sized issue and that the app posed a national security threat. The app was deemed a threat because of its ability to display location, image and biometric data to the Chinese parent company.
The parent company under the Chinese Security Law forces ByteDance to share all data with the Chinese government. The CSL was created to ensure cybersecurity, localization of data, and increase data protection.
TikTok has been incorporated into many daily lives of young teens, young adults, and even some older adults.
The growth in its popularity drew many people to the platform and created monetary possibilities for certain users.
Content creators on the app have been contemplating alternative apps to turn to if the Jan. 19 ban goes into effect.
“Instagram would be the supposed replacement app,” senior Dionne Moreno said.
Instagram offers many of the same features as TikTok, such as live-streaming, short-clip videos, and the ability to create content up to 90 seconds long. The Instagram app has been a long-time competitor against TikTok since Reels has launched.
What happens next?
When the ban takes effect, the app will not be available in the app store for people in the US to download. However, people in the United States who already own the app will be unable to access it.
President Trump’s Executive Order
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed one of many executive orders after being inaugurated into office, giving TikTok a 75-day extension to obtain an American CEO. CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew publically thanked President Trump for his efforts to reinstate the app in the States.
