India has banned TikTok since 2020, but the ban in the US, if there really is, could be delayed for years
The timer has started. TikTok has available nine months to sell its entire American division to a US company, otherwise will be blocked throughout the country. The law, approved by Congress and signed by Biden is motivated by national security concerns related to the use of the app by 170 million citizens. The possible links with the Chinese government – never proven, it is worth specifying – have actually been at the center of American political discussion for several years. It was Trump the first to fear a blockade of the social network, which then fell on deaf ears. Now he’s trying again Bidenin the midst of the election campaign. Election campaign which – his staff confirmed – will also continue through the official profile that Biden inaugurated last February, in an effort to reach younger audiences. A internal contradiction which inevitably leads to understanding how much social media has now entered daily lives of its users and who are unlikely to agree to deprive themselves of it. Even if there is an important precedent.
When will the lockdown come into effect?
Not anytime soon. In addition to the nine months made available by law to find an American buyer, there is also talk of a further margin of three months. Therefore the blockade cannot come into force for a year. Then there is something to consider the appeal which the company has already declared it will do to the Supreso Court, and therefore a possible delays, even of yearsin the implementation of the law.
TikTok’s proposal
The problem that gave rise to the decision to block TikTok in the US is the property of ByteDance, a Chinese company that – like all Chinese companies – should be subject to Beijing’s laws. Which plan to transfer the data stored on their servers if requested. TikTok had proposed an alternative plan to the sale, which is called «ProjectTexas», or the commitment of bring all American user data to the United States, in the servers of an American company: Oracle. A project in which he has already invested 1.5 billion dollars and which according to the CEO will be active “before the end of the year”. Also in Europe have committed to doing the same with Project Clover, which involves the construction of three servers in Ireland for data from 150 million European users. Both the United States and the European Union – as well as a series of other states – have already banned their public employees from using the app on company smartphones in recent months. Just as the hearing was being held, in Great Britain it was decided to make the Parliament’s internet inaccessible the Chinese social network, while all officials are prohibited from downloading the app. On this, CEO Shou Chew said that «no social network should be installed on a public employee’s phone».
How blocking TikTok would work
Assuming that TikTok would actually be blocked across the country, the simplest way would be to order Apple and Google to remove the app from their respective stores. This way it would be impossible to download TikTok, but those who already have the app installed on their phone could continue to use it (but could no longer update it). However, as the BBC explains, there are several methods to circumvent this hypothetical block: «The Store region can be changed, allowing you to access apps from other countries». «Apple and Google could decide to send updates to US smartphones that specifically prevent the TikTok app from working, rendering these solutions null and void». And here there would really be a definitive block.
The precedent in India
In reality, there is already an important precedent and that is India, where TikTok has been banned since 2020. And it is still not usable today. The Indian government has asked internet service providers to block the app. However, the ban can be circumvented with one VPN, a virtual private network. TikTok, at one time, had lost 200 million users. In addition to the social network, India had blocked 59 other applications developed by Chinese companies, including WeChat and Weibo. There are two other countries where TikTok has been banned: Afghanistan (from 2022) and Pakistan.
How likely is a TikTok block in the US?
Net of the more technical problems and doubts – Google and Apple would cooperate without protest to a request to block TikTok on their stores, also given Tim Cook’s political message on the day of the TikTok CEO’s hearing at the congress? – there is something to consider the popularity of social media in the United States (as well as in the rest of the world). One in three Americans uses itnot to mention artists, small businesses and politicians themselves. It is a social network that has now widely entered into digital communications methods. Ban it it would not be appreciated by public opinion. But looking at the possible discussions that may take place during the appeal, to date, There is no concrete evidence of Chinese espionage through TikTok (or at least, they haven’t been made public). Then there is the very important question of freedom of expression but also the threat of what can pass as a form of censorship.
April 25, 2024 (modified April 25, 2024 | 3:31 pm)
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