The TikTok US Ban May Not Be Happening

For months, there has been a back and forth between the US government and the Chinese government over a smartphone app. That’s TikTok, of course, and it has made waves as the most downloaded app on the planet. The app has proven to be very popular during these times, where many people are at home and trying to find some means to entertain themselves. TikTok gives them an outlet for that and has been shown to be a coping mechanism for many.

TikTok is most widely known for its viral dance videos, where users around the world submit and upload their renditions of popular dances or they dance along to popular songs. So, each time a new hit song comes out, there are thousands of dance routines created on TikTok to ride the coattails of the song and make some money or gain followers for the users submitting videos.

Some TikTok users are making millions off of the app, financing a lifestyle just by being popular and enjoying promotional work with companies that want to get their products noticed.

A ban was issued in the US over the app due to security concerns. The US government raised the concern that private data was being taken from users without their consent, including from those under 13, which breaches US privacy laws. There is also concern that private information is being taken by the app and used by the Chinese government, which has resulted in the app being banned from government phones and buildings. Government employees who want to use the app must have it downloaded on another phone that they do not take to work.

US President Donald trump issued a ban on the app in August, and the ban was set to go into effect 45 days later. The conditions of the order were that the app had to be sold to a US interest, essentially a company operating in the United States. There was interest shown by Google and Microsoft among others to buy up the app while it is at the height of its popularity, but no deal was reached there.

In an attempt to appeal to the conditions of the ban and appease the US government, the Chinese government sold the app to Oracle in the US, but Trump was still not satisfied. He noted that Oracle was owned by Chinese interests and still created a problem where security was concerned.

The ban was pushed back just days before it was supposed to go into effect, but the threat of a US ban still loomed for the app. This focus on the app has eased pressure off of online casinos, which have experienced a small measure of reprieve from severe regulation in the US. Mos kasyno online operations are based outside the US for legal reasons, but that could change as laws are modified to allow for new opportunities. As it stands right now, bets can be placed online in the US but the sites cannot operate within the US.

TikTok’s owners were looking at a similar loophole, trying to “sell off” their US operations to a US company, but the Trump administration still was not happy with their choice. Now, an agreement between Oracle and Walmart for TikTok has finally stayed the ban for the time being. No ban is looming and TikTok users and its owners can finally rest easy.

Since it looks like the current US President Donald trump is on his way out, it will be interesting to see how the president-elect Joe Biden handles TikTok and if he has security concerns about it while he is in office. It is likely that the ban placed on the app for government phones and offices will remain in effect, for the time being. The app and its owners may face renewed scrutiny under the incoming demonstration, but that may not happen for a while.

Social media apps like TikTok are likely not at the top of the list of issues for the new administration to deal with. It is assumed that Joe Biden will instead work on reversing decisions by Donald Trump that affect bipartisan issues, like abortion, immigration, and gun control.