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| TikTok: How would the US go about banning the Chinese app? | TikTok: How would the US go about banning the Chinese app? |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| "We may be banning TikTok," President Trump told reporters, saying an announcement could come as soon as this weekend. | "We may be banning TikTok," President Trump told reporters, saying an announcement could come as soon as this weekend. |
| He added there were other options - but how might a ban work? | He added there were other options - but how might a ban work? |
| One obvious starting place would be to order Apple and Google to remove the app from their online stores. | One obvious starting place would be to order Apple and Google to remove the app from their online stores. |
| This might be done by adding TikTok's owner Bytedance to a Commerce Department entity list, and forbidding US firms from working with it - a similar tactic was used to stop Google providing its apps to Huawei. | This might be done by adding TikTok's owner Bytedance to a Commerce Department entity list, and forbidding US firms from working with it - a similar tactic was used to stop Google providing its apps to Huawei. |
| That would prevent new users from being able to download the app. | That would prevent new users from being able to download the app. |
| Existing users would be prevented from receiving notifications and installing updates, although they would still have the app on their devices. | Existing users would be prevented from receiving notifications and installing updates, although they would still have the app on their devices. |
| One way to address this would be to tell Apple and Google to use a "kill switch" facility they both have, which lets them remotely wipe or prevent blacklisted apps from launching. | One way to address this would be to tell Apple and Google to use a "kill switch" facility they both have, which lets them remotely wipe or prevent blacklisted apps from launching. |
| A Brazilian judge once threatened to force the two firms to use the power in 2014, but ultimately backed off. | A Brazilian judge once threatened to force the two firms to use the power in 2014, but ultimately backed off. |
| Apple and Google would likely be loathe to take control of users' smartphones in such a way and might even resist such an order. | Apple and Google would likely be loathe to take control of users' smartphones in such a way and might even resist such an order. |
| So an easier alternative might be to compel local internet service providers to block access to TikTok's servers. | So an easier alternative might be to compel local internet service providers to block access to TikTok's servers. |
| This would have the added advantage of preventing TikTok's videos being viewable via its website. | This would have the added advantage of preventing TikTok's videos being viewable via its website. |
| India took such a measure when it banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps. And users have reported being unable to circumvent the block by using a virtual private network (VPN). | India took such a measure when it banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps. And users have reported being unable to circumvent the block by using a virtual private network (VPN). |
| But it's not clear how Mr Trump would enforce such an order. | But it's not clear how Mr Trump would enforce such an order. |
| A less draconian approach would be to ban TikTok from being installed onto federal employees' work phones. | A less draconian approach would be to ban TikTok from being installed onto federal employees' work phones. |
| Congress has already voted in favour of the idea and the Senate is still considering it. But that would be a much less dramatic move than Trump seems to be hinting at. | Congress has already voted in favour of the idea and the Senate is still considering it. But that would be a much less dramatic move than Trump seems to be hinting at. |
| A further possibility is that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cifus) - which is chaired by the US Treasury - rules against Bytedance's takeover of the app Musical.ly, whose users were migrated over to TikTok in 2018. | A further possibility is that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cifus) - which is chaired by the US Treasury - rules against Bytedance's takeover of the app Musical.ly, whose users were migrated over to TikTok in 2018. |
| Musical.ly was owned by another Chinese start-up. | Musical.ly was owned by another Chinese start-up. |
| But Cifus has the power to review takeovers that potentially pose a national security risk. And because Bytedance did not seek clearance for the acquisition at the time, the committee was able to launch a post-deal probe last year. | But Cifus has the power to review takeovers that potentially pose a national security risk. And because Bytedance did not seek clearance for the acquisition at the time, the committee was able to launch a post-deal probe last year. |
| If Cifus rejects the takeover, it could order Bytedance to shut down the service in the US. | If Cifus rejects the takeover, it could order Bytedance to shut down the service in the US. |
| The question is whether a spun-off TikTok would be allowed to continue under different ownership as an alternative, perhaps even with a rebrand. | The question is whether a spun-off TikTok would be allowed to continue under different ownership as an alternative, perhaps even with a rebrand. |
| Microsoft is reportedly in talks to acquire the business - some internet wags have already suggested it might be called Microsoft Teens (a play on the the firm's Teams service). | Microsoft is reportedly in talks to acquire the business - some internet wags have already suggested it might be called Microsoft Teens (a play on the the firm's Teams service). |
| The US tech giant would presumably be viewed as a more trustworthy guardian of the data the app collects, and assuage fears the China might still be somehow accessing its logs. | The US tech giant would presumably be viewed as a more trustworthy guardian of the data the app collects, and assuage fears the China might still be somehow accessing its logs. |
| When asked about the prospect of such a deal, Microsoft declined to comment. | When asked about the prospect of such a deal, Microsoft declined to comment. |
| What does TikTok say? | |
| "One hundred million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection. | |
| "We've hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees. | |
| "TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok's biggest investors come from the US. | |
| "We are committed to protecting our users' privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform." | |
| TikTok Timeline | TikTok Timeline |
| March 2012: Bytedance is established in China and launches Neihan Duanzi - an app to help Chinese users share memes | March 2012: Bytedance is established in China and launches Neihan Duanzi - an app to help Chinese users share memes |
| September 2016: Bytedance launches the short-form video app Douyin in China | September 2016: Bytedance launches the short-form video app Douyin in China |
| August 2017: An international version of Douyin is launched under the brand TikTok in some parts of the world, but not the US at this time | August 2017: An international version of Douyin is launched under the brand TikTok in some parts of the world, but not the US at this time |
| November 2017: Bytedance buys lip-synch music app Musical.ly | November 2017: Bytedance buys lip-synch music app Musical.ly |
| May 2018: TikTok declared world's most downloaded non-game iOS app over first three months of the year, by market research firm Sensor Tower | May 2018: TikTok declared world's most downloaded non-game iOS app over first three months of the year, by market research firm Sensor Tower |
| August 2018: Bytedance announces it is shutting down Musical.ly and is moving users over to TikTok | August 2018: Bytedance announces it is shutting down Musical.ly and is moving users over to TikTok |
| February 2019: TikTok fined in US over Musical.ly's handling of under-13s' data | February 2019: TikTok fined in US over Musical.ly's handling of under-13s' data |
| October 2019: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg publicly criticises TikTok, accusing it of censoring protests | October 2019: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg publicly criticises TikTok, accusing it of censoring protests |
| November 2019: Cifus opens national security investigation into TikTok | November 2019: Cifus opens national security investigation into TikTok |
| May 2020: TikTok hires Disney executive Kevin Meyer to become the division's chief executive and chief operating officer of Bytedance | May 2020: TikTok hires Disney executive Kevin Meyer to become the division's chief executive and chief operating officer of Bytedance |
| July 2020: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and then President Trump, say TikTok may be banned | July 2020: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and then President Trump, say TikTok may be banned |