In a significant turn of events, TikTok, the widely popular video-sharing app, has resumed operations in the United States after a brief shutdown. This development follows President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement to delay the enforcement of a federal ban, providing the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, additional time to divest its U.S. operations.
This is why TikTok is back, its cause TikTok helps trump
A Brief History of the TikTok Ban
The journey leading to this point began in August 2020 when then-President Donald Trump issued an executive order targeting TikTok. Citing national security concerns over data collection and potential access by the Chinese government, the order aimed to prohibit transactions with ByteDance unless it sold its U.S. operations.
Fast forward to April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban, intensifying the scrutiny on TikTok’s Chinese ownership. This legislative move led to legal challenges, but the Supreme Court upheld the ban, setting the stage for TikTok’s shutdown on January 18, 2025. Tiktok was shutdown
Bills that made this ban happen:
Provided by NotSarfia on discord
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7520/text
To prohibit data brokers from transferring personally identifiable sensitive data of United States individuals to foreign adversaries, and for other purposes.
It shall be unlawful for a data broker to sell, license, rent, trade, transfer, release, disclose, provide access to, or otherwise make available personally identifiable sensitive data of a United States individual to any foreign adversary country; or
any entity that is controlled by a foreign adversary.
H. R. 7521 (“TikTok Ban”) credit to NotSarfia
https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20240311/HR%207521%20Updated.pdf
FOREIGN ADVERSARY CONTROLLED APPLI16 CATION.—The term ‘‘foreign adversary controlled application’’ means a website, desktop application, mobile application, or augmented or immersive technology application that is operated, directly or indiectly (including through a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate), by any of—
ByteDance, Ltd.;
TikTok;
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—A challenge may only be brought in the case of a challenge to this Act, not later than 165 days after the date of the enactment of this Act; and in the case of a challenge to any action, finding, or determination under this Act, not later than 90 days after the date of such action, finding, or determination.
.President-elect Trump’s Intervention
On January 19, 2025, just hours after the app went dark, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order on his inauguration day. This order would extend the deadline for ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations, effectively delaying the ban and allowing TikTok to restore its services to millions of American users.
The Road Ahead
While TikTok’s immediate future in the U.S. seems secure, the underlying concerns about data privacy and national security remain. The app’s resurgence highlights the complex interplay between technology, international relations, and domestic policy. As ByteDance navigates the divestment process, the situation serves as a reminder of the ongoing debates surrounding foreign-owned technology platforms operating within the United States.