Table of Contents
Tiktok ban
- The Tiktok ban began when the Government of Donald Trump said it would restrict access to TikTok on Sunday, September 20.
- US users looking to install the app again or looking for security patches or other updates won’t be able to get them.
- It is based on Commerce Department restrictions which was announced Friday.
- TikTok said in a statement that it disagreed and was disappointed by the Government’s announcement.
What does that mean for users of the short-form videos app?
- The short answer is that you will still be able to use TikTok if it’s already on your phone.
- But at midnight from Sunday to Monday, TikTok will disappear from the US app stores. Apple, Google operates these.
- For months, the Trump administration has alleged that TikTok is a national security risk because a Chinese parent company, ByteDance, owns the app.
- The Government has stated that ByteDance could be require to hand over TikTok user data to the Chinese Government.
- This would compromise the security and privacy of US users.
- In August, President Trump signed two decrees to ban the app and force ByteDance to sell TikTok.
The arguments about TikTok security
- TikTok has insisted that US user information is stored outside of China, beyond the reach of Beijing.
- It also claims that the company would reject any effort by China to obtain the information.
- Cybersecurity experts have said that there is no evidence that the Chinese Government has compromised TikTok.
- They consider the danger, while plausible, to be mostly hypothetical.
- Some security experts have criticized the Commerce Department’s limitations.
- They argue that they would prevent security updates from delivering to WeChat and TikTok users.
- LEE: The new Chinese rules could complicate the sale of the American business of TikTok
- A senior trade official dismissed this as “simplistic criticism.”
- “The argument that we are eroding security because we do not allow an untrusted entity to send security updates to applications that are no longer trustable falls apart,” said the official.
- The new restrictions come as the administration evaluates a partnership between TikTok and Oracle to address national security concerns raised by the Government.
- In a call about the limits this morning, the Commerce Department declines to say what would happen if that deal is finalizing before Sunday night.
- If businesses are unable to complete a deal by November 12, further restrictions will apply to TikTok.
Official News
- These could degrade its functionality, department officials said.
- The regulations would apply to internet infrastructure companies in ways that could hamper the transfer of content from TikTok, which could slow it down or create service disruptions.
- TikTok, with about 100 million users in the United States, did not immediately comment on this news that comes amid a torrent of litigation.
- Trump has accused – without evidence – the application of spying on its users in favor of Beijing.
- And also, has said that to operate in its territory, TikTok must become a US company controlled by US investors.
- Still, could not reach the agreement
- Following an appeal by the “creators” of TikTok, a federal court in Pennsylvania (northeast) blocked the ban order on October 30.
- And a separate case, presented by the social network TikTok itself, is still pending in another Washington court.
- The last month prevented the US government from enforcing a ban on new downloads of the application.
- TikTok’s parent company, China’s ByteDance, had until Thursday to restructure ownership of the app in the United States.
- But filed a petition in a Washington court this week asking for a new deadline.
- In a statement Tuesday, the company said that it had asked the Government for a 30-day extension.
- It is due to “continuing new requests and lack of clarity on whether the proposed solutions would be accepted,” but they did not grant them.
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