Over 30 states around the country and more than a dozen countries worldwide have rolled out TikTok restrictions or bans. Most of them cite the same national security concerns that Congress is talking about now.
White House Bans TikTok in government buildings
The White House recently gave federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all phones and systems, and many colleges have banned the app, as well.
Despite ongoing concerns, some experts are doubtful that Congress will pass a bill banning TikTok. Ryan Calo of the University of Washington Law School claims that such a ban could impinge on the free speech rights of TikTok content creators and their audiences. And it might set a bad precedent for the government to force private platforms to block apps.
If the United States were to ban TikTok, users could still install it on their phones through “sideloading” or access it via browsers.
In order to assure the ban works, the US might also ban US companies from doing business with TikTok. And cut off its infrastructure and advertising business revenues.
