However, despite the widespread use of the app, the safety and security of TikTok has been contested and recently questioned by the US government. Out of 50 states, 39 have already banned TikTok usage on government-issued devices, with many public universities also banning access to the platform with on-campus wi-fi and university-owned computers. About 50% of Americans support the TikTok ban while 32% are against the idea, as reported by Variety.

The possibility of a nationwide ban gained traction in the US with bipartisan support, culminating in Senate approval with a vote of 79 to 18. The bill signed by President Biden forced ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app to a US company within a year or face a national ban. The company has claimed that the bill violates their First Amendment rights and has chosen to sue the US government.

Why is there criticism?

The US is not alone in its apprehension towards TikTok; the platform has already been banned or restricted by a handful of countries, including Australia and India. As reported by PBS News, 18 countries have implemented either a partial or total ban for varying reasons. The Taliban in Afghanistan enforced a ban to protect young people from ‘being misled’, and Australia has partially banned TikTok on federally issued devices based on security advice.

Some critics of TikTok are particularly concerned about threats posed to national security through an alleged connection between ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

TikTok has countered these claims by asserting that 60% of the company is owned by global investors (including US-based investors), 20% by its Chinese co-founders and 20% by its employees. Nonetheless, fears persist that the Chinese government could access the personal data of Americans and potentially influence their political opinions through the app’s algorithms.

While no public evidence has surfaced linking the Chinese government to such data manipulation on TikTok, concerns have arisen regarding the content imbalance between the larger number of pro-Palestine videos compared to pro-Israel videos on the app since the attack on October 7.

The Washington Post reports that the #freepalestine hashtag was found on more than 11mn posts on Facebook, 39 times more than those with the #standwithisrael hashtag, indicating that the algorithm is not being manipulated in this respect.

TikTok maintains that the Chinese government has not requested user data, and emphasizes that US data is strictly controlled by its US subsidiary. Additionally, many argue that other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, also collect extensive data that could potentially be exploited, making the ban of TikTok relatively unfair.

A Pew Research survey indicates the number of US adults consuming news via TikTok has ‘more than quadrupled, from 3% in 2020 to 14% in 2023’. For those under 30, around one-third consume news via TikTok. Another study conducted showed that very few teenagers (aged 13–17) supported the ban with just 18% in favor.

Currently, the fate of TikTok remains uncertain, depending on factors such as ByteDance’s response to the American legislation and even the result of the US election, with Donald Trump now stating his lack of support for the ban despite earlier vows to carry it out for ‘national security’.