With TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew set to appear before the US Congress this week, in what could be the most pivotal appearance that will determine the app’s fate in the region, TikTok has recently shared a new user milestone in the US. At the same time, TikTok’s also called on its US users to contact their elected representatives to voice their support for the platform.

Today, there are now 150 million Americans on TikTok.

“We’re honored to be a home for our immensely diverse community in the United States, made up of nearly half the country’s population, including book lovers, foodies, families, emerging artists and so much more. This milestone would not have been possible without the hard work and unwavering commitment of almost 7,000 TikTok employees in the US, as well as our incredible community in the country and around the world.”

US Aid

Roughly translated (Social Media Today), the above statement means: ‘TikTok is really important, not just to users, but to the US economy too, and banning it would be a very bad thing’. Chew himself also posted a video about the milestone, while calling on US users for support.

This new push further underlines just how significant the threat of a US ban has become, with government officials reportedly already applying pressure on TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company to eliminate concerns related to potential data sharing.

With tensions continuing to rise between the US and China, especially as China continues to publicly support Russia, US officials have continued to sound the alarm about the risks associated with TikTok, which, theoretically, could share US user data with the CCP, which could then put US citizens at risk. In this context, the most recent moves to ban TikTok from government staff devices make some sense. The big question is are regular users also at risk from the same thing? We could get all the answers we want and need this week.

TikTok recently said that the platform is currently unprofitable due to the amount that it’s outlaid to address these concerns, and it’s clear that TikTok will do anything that it can to avoid a ban while remaining under Chinese ownership. It may not have a choice on that second part – the CCP, which would have to approve any spin-off of the app, is reportedly unhappy with the US looking to bully TikTok out of Chinese ownership. As such, at this stage, it seems unlikely that Chinese officials would allow the separation of the platform from ByteDance.

The Wrap

It pretty much leaves TikTok in the middle. If the US does look to increase pressure on TikTok after a week’s appearance by Chew, then it may well be forced out of the market, with no other options to maintain connection with its new, 150 million-strong American audience.

If it does get the hammer dropped on it, that would lead to around 350 million users lost, with its US market adding on top of its lost Indian audience of 200 million. That would be a huge blow. As such, TikTok is pulling out all the stops in an effort to save itself. While a full ban is still unlikely, there may not even be an alternative option this time. One side has to concede.

Sources

http://bit.ly/3K01IPh