Many countries at this time are trying to ban TikTok. They all have their own reasons but they all share something similar. This similarity is that they are afraid of their information being able to be stolen and shown to China. Also, they are trying to make restrictions to prevent people who live in a country from using the app.

Some countries that are trying to ban the app (According to the New York Times)

• Britain
• Australia
• Canada
• European Union
• New Zealand
• United States

How is the U.S. approaching this problem so far?

The U.S. is approaching this problem in a plethora of ways. They are trying to ban it all across the country. Each state right now is taking its own hold on it though. Montana was the first state in the U.S. to ban TikTok by creating a bill. NPR states it should be put into effect by January next year. But in NYC they have banned the app on any government device. “In August, New York City banned TikTok from city-owned devices after the city’s Cyber Command determined that the app “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks,” a City Hall spokesman said.”( New York Times) So it’s already starting to change closer to us as close as NYC. The state of Indiana is attempting to sue TikTok for protection rights. Other states in the United States are following suit. This is what the U.S.  is doing to solve this problem right now.

What could happen with TikTok in the future?

Various predictions have been made regarding the ban threatening to happen with TikTok all over the world. Different countries are attempting to solve this problem to best fit them. For instance, the New York Times predicts, “ Chin said that the United States could block TikTok from selling advertisements or making updates to its systems, essentially making it nonfunctional.” More importantly, this would lead people to not hear about the app as much. It would make it so that it doesn’t change anymore with updates. People wouldn’t be as interested in looking at the app anymore, so it could lead to it fading out. “Apple and other companies that operate app stores do block downloads of apps that no longer work.” (New York Times) This has a  great possibility of happening in the U.S. later on.  So overall there are many different things that could happen with the ban on Tik Tok. 

Why do they want to ban the app? 

These different countries want to ban the app for the same reasons. Overall it’s wanting to be banned by many countries because most fear that user data could be taken from users of the app. It’s stated by ABC NEWS, “The Chinese government and the app could ultimately be weaponized by China to spread misinformation.” So in other words what they are saying is China could use users’ information as a weapon against them if it’s not banned. It’s a security concern for not only the government but anyone who has the app on their phones. Most countries all over the world are afraid of their information being accessed by the Chinese government. This is why countries are trying to ban the app.

How could this problem be solved?

This problem could be solved for the U.S.  by somehow getting control over the app. Another way to solve this problem would be finding a way to get Apple to delete the app from their app store, or at least have users pay for the app.  Countries could also pass a law, like what the U.S. is trying to do now. Finally, governments could discuss a compromise or deal with the CEO of TikTok. This is how the problem with TikTok could be solved.