Is the United States Banning Tiktok?

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Abigail Lott, Staff Writer

The news most on the minds of Gen-Z recently was about the United States potentially banning TikTok to prevent the spread of consumer information to China. 

On September 18th, the Trump Administration announced that it would ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from downloading on U.S. devices. From September 20th to November 12th, users would not have been allowed to buy the app, update the app, or perform any other maintenance. By November 12th, TikTok would no longer have been able to provide services in the United States. However, the Trump Administration has backed down from this position after TikTok entered a partnership with two U.S. companies, Oracle and Walmart. 

TikTok is an app that allows users to watch and create compelling short videos that are usually accompanied by music. Since its launch in 2018, TikTok has amassed 800 million users from all over the globe. The type of content on TikTok varies. Most popular creators have become famous for short dancing videos. This is how the most popular “TikToker,” Charlie D’Amelio, who has 87 million followers, rose to fame. Other content on the app includes gaming edits, DIY tips, and quick stories about captivating events. At Falmouth Academy, 44% of students use the app, according to a poll done last school year. 

The main reason for the Trump Administration’s ban would have been that data from American users could be accessed by the Chinese government. The U.S. Commerce Department has said that TikTok collects information that includes location data, network activity, and browsing history. Because ByteDance, the company that runs TikTok,  is a Chinese corporation,  they must cooperate with the Chinese government when the government asks for information. 

But worry not, TikTok fans! On September 19th, President Trump approved a partnership by TikTok with Oracle, an American computer technology corporation, and Walmart to avoid a ban. Oracle will own 12.5% of the company while Walmart will own 7.5% of the company. The Chinese company, ByteDance, will maintain the rest. The U.S. TikTok data will now be moved to Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, therefore preventing access by the Chinese Government. Every TikTok user in the U.S. can happily access TikTok for the rest of the time.