Donald Trump has been threatening to ban TikTok in the US for some time now, and it looks like that is getting closer to actually happening. Today (September 18), the Trump administration said it will ban downloads of the app (and WeChat) starting Sunday, September 20 due to national security and data privacy concerns regarding the Chinese-owned companies behind the apps.
During an appearance on Fox Business Network, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said his office will order a full ban of the app, not just on new downloads from app stores, by November 12. He noted, however, that discussions for a deal that would include data safeguards could give American TikTok users continued access to the platform.
A press release from the US Department Of Commerce notes that after the weekend, “Any provision of service to distribute or maintain the WeChat or TikTok mobile applications, constituent code, or application updates through an online mobile application store in the US” will be prohibited.
this reads like a pretty full shutdown of WeChat & TikTok in the US:https://t.co/KHHC5gcAq1 pic.twitter.com/K3C6ldK2oi
— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) September 18, 2020
TikTok general manager Vanessa Pappas has addressed the news in a response to Instagram head Adam Mosseri. In response to a potentially misleading headline, Mosseri tweeted, “Careful with this headline, the ban is only of *new downloads* of TikTok, an outright ban will happen on 11/12 unless a deal is made. I’ve said this before, but a US TikTok ban would be quite bad for Instagram, Facebook, and the internet more broadly.” Pappas them chimed in, “We agree that this type of ban would be bad for the industry. We invite Facebook and Instagram to publicly join our challenge and support our litigation. This is a moment to put aside our competition and focus on core principles like freedom of expression and due process of law.”
We agree that this type of ban would be bad for the industry. We invite Facebook and Instagram to publicly join our challenge and support our litigation. This is a moment to put aside our competition and focus on core principles like freedom of expression and due process of law.
— Vanessa Pappas (@v_ness) September 18, 2020
While not strictly a music app, TikTok has had an undeniable impact on the music industry, helping hits like Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Drake’s “Toosie Slide” to immense popularity.