How the US Could Ban TikTok in 7 Not-So-Easy Steps
Former president Trump tried and failed to ban the app. Now US lawmakers from both parties are preparing legislation they say can finish the job. TIKTOK’S GROWTH SPURT early in the pandemic alarmed not only competing social networks but also the US government. Could the video sharing app, owned by Beijing’s ByteDance, be turning over the locations or personal interests of its nearly 100 million US users to the Chinese government? Could the Chinese government order TikTok to manipulate American minds spending hours flipping through clips? The app quickly became a convenient target for US officials sparring for attention and taking on China. Three years later no one has yet presented evidence of China exploiting TikTok to attack the US, but lawmakers are planning to introduce legislation to Congress this month that would open the way for President Biden to ban the app altogether. Like a good TikTok stunt , US politicians could be staging theatrics to appeal to their audience
