One of the most controversial apps that seem to be present in the current decade is the one known as TikTok. TikTok is basically an app that allows people to record short videos or reels with unique graphics and sound effects. So it might sound harmless and rather like a recreational app to you right? Well, many people worldwide are starting to resent this app.
Because of the various reasons that people are finding which makes the app rather useless, several nations are thinking of enacting bans on this app. In fact, India already has banned this app and its usage. However, the USA might be another country to do the same on the list. So let us find out why this app might get banned by the USA and whether this will be good or bad.
Why Will the US Ban TikTok?
TikTok has always been an app that is both useful and also a source of useless and mindless entertainment at the same time. Although many digital marketers used this app for promoting anything by using influencers or even showing products themselves, many people also used it for useless purposes like making prank videos, for example.
Because of this, many people all across the world started thinking that this app is something only crazy people use. Most contents, educational or not, on TikTok are generally seen as of mid or low quality in comparison to those found on other apps like YouTube. Many people have also stated that young TikTok users, especially those who are teenagers tend to have a lower attention span than those who do not use this app.
In fact, TikTok is not only considered to be bad for mental health and even worse than certain apps that show pornographic content but is also a major source of fake news. This is because not only a high number of young people with very little knowledge about the outside world use this app, but also fake videos and photos can be circulated very easily here. In fact, the app does not have many features for confirming one’s identity and its editing tools can help anyone to morph videos and photos or people. This has proven to be a major cause of cybercrimes, especially against women and children in almost every place where TikTok is used.
However, the main issue as to why many people do not trust this app is because it is manufactured by a company in China. The company, called ByteDance, which is the parent company of TikTok has been alleged to hack into one’s personal data and keep it to themselves. This has caused many nations including India and the USA to suspect this app as a form of spyware by the Chinese government. In fact, India banned this app in June 2020, after its relations with China worsened especially since India suspected the country of releasing the Covid-19 virus onto the world.
Now the USA is following a similar path. US President Donald Trump is considering putting a ban on TikTok since it has been considered that the app is being used by the Chinese government to steal people’s personal data. In fact, the app got shut down in several states just a day before the ban.However, just before the ban could get put into action, the President changed his mind and stopped it from happening.
Despite this, the President has issued some restrictions upon TikTok usage. He stated that no person who is working for the government can use this app. However, people who are not government employees can use it freely. The President also stated that the US government might put some restrictions with help from the Chinese government in order to prevent the app’s misuse. The main goal here is to make sure that the US-China relationship remains stable and good.
A Final Note About the Situation
As of now, the US government will not be putting a full ban on TikTok. This is mainly because the USA has not found any proof of the misuse of personal data collected from American citizens by this app. However, it is clear that the USA cannot fully trust this app either.
This can be seen from the fact that government employees are not being allowed to use this app. The US is doing this mainly to not let China get its hands on confidential information present in this country’s government’s hands. So it can be possible that a full-scale ban can suddenly happen in the future if China does something with the data which is not good.
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