Let’s make this clear – TikTok isn’t having fun in the US, currently. Amid ongoing bans within government-related organizations, along with lingering questions about the CCP’s potential influence over its operations, Tiktok’s ‘All-American’ future isn’t looking too bright. TikTok’s latest update doesn’t seem to add much to its currently precarious status.

Cease & Desist

Based on a report from Reuters, TikTok has paused its hiring process for a group of US-based consultants that would help implement the final requirements of its potential US security deal. Just before Christmas, TikTok looked as if it was close to securing the final sign-off on a deal that would ensure its operations in the US. However, around the same time, reports emerged stating that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, had been spying on several American journalists through the app, due to concerns that these journalists had been in contact with ByteDance staff, gaining access to commercially sensitive information. 

This, combined with the ongoing bans of TikTok on government-owned accounts and devices, which are spreading throughout the country, paired with ongoing warnings about the app from top security personnel, seems to have stagnated the deal’s progress, which might have dire implications for TikTok moving forward. True enough, at least 19 US states have now blocked TikTok from accessing government devices. Likewise, representatives from the FCC and the FBI have also called for a full ban of the app due to growing speculations about the Chinese government’s involvement with the app’s operation.

The reports of alleged spying, which may undermine many of TikTok’s efforts to assure US officials, seem to have sparked more significant hesitation among CFIUS and White House decision-makers, to the point that a likely operational deal might be on the books. That would then lead to the next major push – a full, nationwide TikTok ban.

The fact that it was found out that China-based officials have used TikTok as a spying device to monitor US journalists does bring up a bit of major concern. Investigations are likely underway to uncover just how this happened and what TikTok knew of such operations. If ByteDance did indeed use TikTok in this way, then it’s more likely to suffer the same fate in the US as it did in India.

The Wrap

Is a full ban really possible? Were regulators and state heads right about the app all along? Looking at TikTok’s current rep sheet and all considerations, we’d say that it’s now likely possible that the app could kiss America goodbye. Just so you know, TikTok is also presently pausing its $1.5 billion plan to meet the US Government’s demands, so things haven’t been off to a good start for the world’s most popular app. It may not come soon, but it does look like an imminent decision either way; TikTok’s days in the US sun could be numbered.

Sources 

https://bit.ly/3IBuFk0