DATA, DRAMA, AND DEADLINES THE FIGHT OVER TIKTOK’S FUTURE
Social media has become an essential part of our lives. While platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X have brought incredible benefits, there’s no denying they pose complications, especially for platforms that didn’t originate in the U.S. This is something TikTok users know all too well. Before we can assess TikTok’s current situation, we need to take a moment to explore the platform’s past. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, was founded in China in March 2012. Four years later, the company would release Douyin, a video-sharing app exclusively for Chinese users. This app became so popular that ByteDance launched an international version: TikTok. TikTok had its first run-in with the U.S. legal system in February 2019, when it paid a $5.7 million fine for violating U.S. child-privacy laws. In 2019, politicians began sharing their concerns. They noticed issues with content moderation, where videos that referenced topics sensitive to China were being erased or hidden. Our government called for a federal investigation and a national security probe into TikTok. By December, the Pentagon encouraged all military personnel to delete TikTok from their devices. “TikTok has stood the test of time and survived ban attempts, legal battles, and concerned Americans — but experts argue that this solution did not actually solve the problem and that users’ data remains at risk.”
Everything started to unravel in 2020. Privacy groups argued that TikTok was still violating U.S. child-protection laws, other countries began banning the platform, and President Trump issued an executive order banning American companies from any transactions with ByteDance and its subsidiaries. He also demanded that ByteDance remove itself from TikTok’s U.S. operations. When former President Joe Biden took office, he postponed the legal cases, and TikTok grew to new levels. In June 2022, BuzzFeed reported that employees of the China-based ByteDance had accessed the nonpublic information of TikTok users. By December, the FBI director was raising national security concerns about the platform. After many discussions and hearings, a bill to ban TikTok or force its sale to a U.S. company was drafted, passed, and signed by Biden. TikTok sued the U.S. federal government over the bill, but it was upheld by every court, including the Supreme Court in TikTok, Inc. v. Garland . TikTok looked like it was on its way out when President Trump threatened to ban the app. Then, while campaigning for his second term, he shifted his stance and even promised not to ban the platform. Once elected, he signed a 75-day extension. He followed this up with two more extensions. As of January 2026, the U.S. version of TikTok is 80% owned by non-Chinese investors, mainly Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, while ByteDance still owns the remaining 19.9%. TikTok has stood the test of time and survived ban attempts, legal battles, and concerned Americans. While this sounds like a step in the right direction, experts argue that this solution did not actually solve the problem and that users’ data remains at risk.
2 | (757) 351-4017
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator