Unless you’ve been living under a rock (which I guarantee that you have not), you would know that election season is upon us, and one of the potential repercussions of this election for watchers and creators: TikTok could be banned.
Starting on January 19, 2025, the popular social media app could be banned in the United States. The Biden administration has said that the app is a national security concern due to the app’s owner ByteDance being based in China, a rival of the United States.
The shutdown of the app in America, which is used by about 170 million people in the country, could cause people to lose their jobs. Small businesses that rely on TikTok may struggle or close, and influencers that make money from this app could have to go back to working somewhere else.
Kamala Harris is defending the TikTok ban, but former president Donald Trump supports allowing TikTok to operate in America, which is different from his views of TikTok back when he was president. (Note: This article is not meant to pressure you into voting Trump. Go vote whoever you want.)
TikTok had a court case back in September. ByteDance has said that the ban would limit free speech and information that Americans receive from the app. The Department of Justice defends the ban, saying that they’re taking action against their company which is a national security risk. Judges questioned requiring less action from TikTok, like the app talking about their moderation and data, because of the risk of trusting a company like ByteDance. The DOJ does say that TikTok has first amendment rights, but they weren’t the focus of the law.
Jeffrey Fisher says that this law could limit Americans’ abilities to create content for other media companies like the BBC. Judges also questioned if the creators of TikToks have a first amendment interest in the owner of the app.
For my opinion, I don’t think that TikTok should be banned. I don’t personally use it, but I think it could be a good source of information, news, and other sorts of entertainment. So what will happen to it? We’ll have to just wait and see.
Oh yeah, Scratch Paper’s also on TikTok. Follow us @wthsscratchpaper, if it still exists at the time you’re reading this…
Court case source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/16/24246568/tiktok-v-garland-oral-arguments-dc-circuit
