TikTok is not having or going to have a fun weekend in the U.S. Lat night local time, it was reported that Microsoft was planning to buy it but now things have turned for the worst.
UPDATE: Microsoft has confirmed that they are in talks to buy TikTok in the US. In a blog statement, the tech giant has said that they will keep working with the US government on that proposed deal and hopes the talks will conclude by September 15th.
Microsoft plans to not only buy TikTok in the US but also Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
We are yet to know what happens to other countries that still have TikTok such as Africa and Europe. TikTok already has quietly made London its main hub in European.
Microsoft will probably offer other American investors to get involved in the acquisition.
Donald Trump told reporters aboard the Air Force One that he’s banning TikTok. Donald was travelling to Tampa and he has panned to take action against the app popular among Gen Z and millennials as soon as Saturday.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “Soon. Immediately. I mean essentially immediately.”
“I will sign the document tomorrow,” he said..
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 1, 2020
He added that he could use emergency economic powers or an executive order to ban TikToik in the country.
The U.S president made it clear that he was not in favour of a deal that would let a U.S company buy TikTok’s American operations.
POTUS made clear he is against proposed spinoff of Tik Tok with a resale to Microsoft or another company.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 1, 2020
Trump on TikTok via @davidcloudlat pic.twitter.com/8Ya3eeE3qV
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 1, 2020
This intended ban could follow up on Indian and Australia who are also planning to ban the app. Both India and Australia are blocking the app at the network level which cuts off communication between the targetted servers and users in the said country.
This method would be hard to implement in the U.S as the app is consumer-facing unlike Huawei and ZTE which the US administration cracked down on last year.
The problem would come from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). They handle mergers and investments involving non-US companies. Last year, they opened security investigations on TikTok and if they decide that Chinese ownership of the app – that could bring a lot of trouble.
It doesn’t matter what he says. He cannot legally “terminate” a company. https://t.co/ES4AnbErln
— Scott Nover (@ScottNover) August 1, 2020
TikTok could be forced to restructure and separate its US presence from its Chinese one, or even make ByteDance sell off Musical.ly.
The U.S administration could deplatform the app by adding it in an entity list(similar to Huawei method ) thereby making Google and Apple remove TikTok form its respective app stores.
What would a U.S. ban look like? It depends how it is implemented, but U.S. enterprises would likely quickly break off relationships. There would be no censorship, but TikTok would disappear from Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Then AWS would wind down ByteDance as a customer. https://t.co/fo87n2pLsz
— Daniel Sinclair (@_DanielSinclair) August 1, 2020
“They could sanction them, but usually the sanction is tied to trade violations or espionage or proliferation or intellectual property theft. You can’t just do it because you’re mad at a company,” said James Lewis, director of technology policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies while speaking to the Verge.
If US politicians are concerned about PRC surveillance capabilities being enhanced by Chinese-run apps, then WeChat should absolutely be on the top of that list. Likely one of the most important global mass surveillance tools in the MSS/PLA arsenal.
— Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) July 31, 2020
Trump threatened to ban TikTok via Executive Order, so upping all of what @alexstamos said below with some adds.
1. An EO likely won’t have an enforcement mechanism.
2. We need a federal data protection standard.
3. We can have concerns of security & banning apps at same time. https://t.co/83HDzWJyHq
— Graham Brookie (@GrahamBrookie) August 1, 2020
This increased dislike by Trump comes after his re-election campaign in Tulsa was ruined by TikTok teens and K-Pop stans who tanked it by inflating the attendance expectations.
Dude is still fuming about Tulsa and those meddling kids https://t.co/qzC8KGvzM7
— thaddeus e. grugq (@thegrugq) August 1, 2020
The news of the ban is now being discussed on TikTok group chats with everyone encouraging their fans to follow them on other social networks.
News is spreading abt the ban through all the TikToker group chats rn. Everyone is going live encouraging fans to follow them elsewhere on social media pic.twitter.com/sBTPy5vczt
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) August 1, 2020
@realDonaldTrump please read. pic.twitter.com/dX3TWhvW6V
— Juliette 𓆏 (@juliettestacyy) August 1, 2020
a juicy thread of creators responding to the TikTok ban 👇
kicking it off with the baddest bleep on the platform: Addison Rae [@whoisaddison] pic.twitter.com/zWBGhyWxZQ
— Alice Ophelia (@iamaliceophelia) August 1, 2020
everyone asking me about the ban – alt and gay tiktokers are currently all moving to Byte & Clash right now, both apps jumping massively in the App Store rn. I suggest downloading and following your fav creators there ❤️ i know this sucks and tiktok was a relief for us all, ily. pic.twitter.com/X6LepEBGR8
— elijah daniel (@elijahdaniel) August 1, 2020
hope to god tiktok survives and microsoft acquires.
tiktok unlocks so much creativity from the average person. amazing creative tool, best follower-graph-breaking algorithm, surprisingly wholesome / cause-driven community, beautiful music integration.
don't go bb 🥺
— 𝐜𝐨-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 🌸 (@yungcontent) August 1, 2020
feel for all of tiktok's newer employees and employees-to-be if trump really shuts this shit down. they've been hiring like crazy the past year and just pledged on tues that they'd employ 10,000 more americans in 3 yrs. unprecedented unprecedented times.
— 𝐜𝐨-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 🌸 (@yungcontent) August 1, 2020
Influencers cannot always port followings between platforms. It’s like playing a sport. If ur a good pro basketball player but the sport gets banned, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be a top tennis player tomorrow. Each platform requires different skills/resources to succeed
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) August 1, 2020
Even then! Top YouTube creators tried to switch to Twitch when the first major Adpodcalypse happened. Failed. Different type of content (live, no editing) that they couldn't figure out. Understandable! Creators have to be multi-platform today, yes. Not as simple as showing up.
— Julia Alexander (@loudmouthjulia) August 1, 2020
#tiktokban This is what makes me most sad. I love seeing how young people have used #TikTok to be activists, create community, express themselves, be ridiculous, whatever, they're making f'ing ART. @TaylorLorenz https://t.co/QaBL53wXxb
— Kim Foster (@KimFosterNYC) August 1, 2020
If u tweet “Michael Jordan.” That’s 1 single player in like the history of the entire sport AND he went right back to hoops! That’s my point, there are millions of creators right now on TikTok, only the elite very few can jump over and dominate another platform with equal ease
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) August 1, 2020
The potential ban on Tiktok is a harsh reminder that we're all living on rented land
Creators not only need to diversify their social channels, but take ownership over their career by starting a business so they're not depending their income on something that could be gone tmr
— jason wong (@EggrolI) August 1, 2020
Here are some reactions from Twitter
How people are reacting to TikTok ban in the US almost seems like a deja vu of how people reacted when it was banned in India
— Vikas SN (@tsuvik) August 1, 2020
Banning an app like TikTok, which millions of Americans use to communicate with each other, is a danger to free expression and technologically impractical. https://t.co/ZbN7f2TOwF
— ACLU (@ACLU) August 1, 2020
people who are “happy” tiktok is getting banned think they have a PHD in maturity… and they’re acting like they don’t spend 8 hours a day on it 💀
— SNARKYMARKY (@snarkeigh) August 1, 2020
everyone is saying goodbye i-
this is so weird pic.twitter.com/DUAA4slrMb— rip tiktok🕊💔 (@OhMyGodExposeU) August 1, 2020
Rip to all the diy projects I followed on TikTok I will never see completed
— merritt wever stan account (@ramen_girl__) August 1, 2020
the United States is the only country that still have a corona virus problem and Trump wants to focus on tik tok?
— dougmar (@dougmar_) August 1, 2020
if tiktok gets banned i’m losing my job 💔 my moms gonna be so sad
— sarah lugor! (@sarahlugor) August 1, 2020
it better not get banned tik tok is my whole job 🥺
— dougmar (@dougmar_) August 1, 2020
We never deserved Tiktok
— Ej Dickson (@ejdickson) August 1, 2020
Every 14-year old in America is about to get real familiar with mobile VPNs. https://t.co/ibze0LR9Go
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) August 1, 2020
Already been taught. VPN instructions for how to watch Friends when it went off Netflix were all over TikTok!
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) August 1, 2020
it's going to be super ~something~ watching people who don't use tiktok talk about nothing but tiktok for the next little while, huh
— Julia Alexander (@loudmouthjulia) August 1, 2020
This TikTok ban is gonna piss off many teens, especially the underage ones, many of which probably won’t vote for Trump this fall
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) August 1, 2020
Biden *must* come out with a strong new TikTok dance — tonight.
— 👁️👄👁️ +ProfJeffJarviss (@ProfJeffJarviss) August 1, 2020
— #1 Rachel (@rachel) August 1, 2020
Tik Tok ban creates another news cycle that’s not coronavirus or economy. Which is the intent.
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) August 1, 2020
Get ready for every TikTok to be creators begging fans to follow them on Triller, YouTube, Airbnb, Tinder…
— Josh Constine -SignalFire (@JoshConstine) August 1, 2020
Not going to sleep tonight. Going to watch all of TikTok instead. Who’s in?
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) August 1, 2020
Watching TikTok while I still can
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) August 1, 2020
