What Has Happened with a TikTok Closing Act? In the Light of WIRED, Facebook has Shutdown and Its Implications
They miss the point. The creators of TIkTok were talking to WIRED as the news broke. Although much of the conversation prior to the vote had been about the impact a ban might have on their livelihoods, Sigourney Norman, a creator who uses TikTok to talk about race, sexuality, and politics, said the stakes were bigger, that it was about more than just people losing their “little dancing app,” it was about losing the discussions that happen on the platform. I think calling it a TikTok ban suggests old people in Congress do not know how TikTok works. “But they’re also not completely fucking stupid.”
Whatever happens with this measure, it marks the first time a chamber of Congress has passed a bill that could shut down a social media platform, a move that civil liberties advocates say tramples on the free speech rights of millions of American users.
People are unsure who could afford TikToks, which is worth tens of billions of dollars. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has the money to buy something, but any deal with one of the tech giants would probably get antitrust scrutiny.
And even if the Senate passes a companion bill, and Biden signs it into law, there is a six-month deadline to sell, which could be prolonged by court challenges.
TikTok, China, and Other ByteDance Apps: Cybersecurity, Antitrust, and U.S. Citizenship
People could turn to virtual private networks, or VPNs, to shield their location and get past restrictions. The technique is popular in places like Russia and China, where governments have prohibited many popular internet apps and services.
ByteDance was a popular app in the world, and would sell TikTok at a high price. The TikTok is worth tens of billions of dollars, and only the biggest tech companies could afford it.
The prospect of TikTok being acquired by a big tech firm raises antitrust concerns because the Biden administration has taken a tough stance against tech industry mergers that inflate the size and influence of already massive companies.
A ByteDance executive last year said in a court filing that the Chinese government had been given a “super user” credential on TikTok, and that it was used to spy on Hong Kong protesters.
ByteDance admitted in order to get rid of their former employees that they had surveilled Americans on TikTok.
The company has also touted an initiative dubbed “Project Texas,” saying that all U.S. user data has been transferred to servers controlled by Austin-based software company Oracle. TikTok also says Americans’ data is now being monitored by third-party auditors in the U.S.
Donald Molloy said in late 2023 that a crusade by the officials in Montana to prevent TikTok within the state’s borders had a “pervasive” anti- Chinese sentiment.
TikTok and the Bytedance Crisis: What can happen if the U.S. isn’t able to rely on Wall Street?
Mnuchin is a Wall Street investor. Before working for the President of the United States, he was a financer with a Hollywood production company on the side.
Bytedance has pushed back on those claims, saying it has not received a request from China to access the data of Americans and would not share it if asked.
The House passed a bill on Thursday that could force the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell their business, a day after Steven Mnuchin said he was putting together investors to try to buy the company.
The House bill was overwhelmingly passed, but it is uncertain in the Senate. And even if it passes Congress, it would likely face big legal challenges.
This week on Gadget Lab, we’re joined by WIRED’s senior politics writer Makena Kelly to talk about those security concerns, what this bill means for the rest of the tech industry, and what could happen if TikTok is actually banned.
Makena recommends going to the office. It’s really. Mike recommends Ener-C powdered vitamin drink mix. Lauren reiterates Kate Knibbs’ earlier recommendation of American Fiction, the film that just won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.
What Does Jeff Jackson Say about TikTok and What Does It Mean to the People Who Use it: How Many Followers Does He Have?
Makena Kelly can be found on social media @kellymakena. LaurenGoode is a person. Michael Calore is @snackfight. AtGadgetLab, bling the main hotline. The show is written and produced by Boone Ashworth. Our theme music is by Solar Keys.
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Until relatively recently, Rep. Jeff Jackson, a freshman Democratic congressman from North Carolina, had more than 2.5 million followers on TikTok. Jackson’s follower count dropped by over 100,000 virtually overnight — as did his esteem among some of TikTok’s young users — after he voted to ban the app.
TikTok users, meanwhile, weren’t happy with Jackson’s explanation. The comments section of his latest video has a lot of people saying he’s a hypocrite. Jackson’s post-vote explanation video was deleted after a wave of backlash, according to some of the comments.
The bill passed with 352 votes, but to the legions of TikTokers who called their representatives to urge them not to ban the app, Jackson’s vote feels like a unique betrayal.
Missing from this debate are the bigger questions of what TikTok actually means to the people who use it. When a lot of people used the app for their connection, it was a lifesaver. TikTok is both a meme and a cultural appropriation, but its algorithm is great at helping people find their place in the online universe. There are gays who cook in the woods, as well as the cat TikTok or the Lesbian TikTok. It’s format, smothered in text and reactions, can build both viral dances and political commentary. Current discourse about TikTok uses the app’s fame as a way to belittle its more vital aspects.