Last week, the United States government issued an ultimatum to bytedancethe Chinese company that owns TikTok: sell the app or get banned in that country. Now Shou Zi Chewexecutive director of the platform, assures that the app is facing “a crucial moment”, since the threat of a veto for reasons of national security comes just when almost half of the US population.
This Tuesday, March 21, Chew posted a video on the social network he runs, highlighting how many Internet users use the application in the US.
“Today I am excited to announce that more than 150 million Americans are on TikTok. That means nearly half of Americans turn to TikTok to connect, create, share, learn, or just have fun,” said TikTok CEO. He also mentioned the “5 million companies” that use it “to communicate with consumers” and the network’s 7,000 employees in the United States.
Although the manager did not explicitly threaten the US in the video, he invited netizens to express their opinion.
“Some politicians talk about banning TikTok; but be careful, that would mean taking TikTok away from 150 million of you. (…) Tell me in the comments what you want your elected representatives to know about what you like about TikTok, ”he said.
The short video app is between a rock and a hard place
The pressure on ByteDance has escalated since the Donald Trump administration, and it’s only gotten worse lately. Last week, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Joe Biden government gave TikTok an ultimatum: “sell or close.”
Only 20% of ByteDance’s shares are held by its founders, all of Chinese origin. Another 20% belongs to company workers and the remaining 60% is in the hands of global investors.
According to a report from Bloomberg, TikTok is worth between 40 and 50 billion dollars. In this scenario, the company would have three options: sell the shares of Chinese owners, sell the whole company either list it on the stock market through a public sale offer (OPV).
The United States argues that Bytedance would be sharing information from users in the North American country to the Chinese government and, at the same time, could influence the spread of political ideas. Therefore, the veto would be a matter of national security, points out a detailed report by The country.
In the clip, Chow spoke of the appearance scheduled for this Thursday before the Energy and Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives. The TikTok CEO will testify in Washington about these accusations, which they have denied several times. They point out that turning the ByteDance subsidiary into a US company, separate from its Chinese parent, will not solve the problems.
The executive director assured that they have worked more than two years with the US authorities to address national security concerns. He added that he will share with Congress everything they are doing “to protect Americans who use the app.”
This is the list of countries that have already banned TikTok
The United States has already prohibited installing the app on devices for government use and could impose a total ban throughout the country. The European Commission and the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries have taken similar steps in recent weeks.
USA
At the beginning of 2022, the Biden administration prohibited the application on devices of the federal government and, especially, of high-ranking White House officials. This week they announced that government agencies have 30 days to remove TikTok from federal devices and systems, for cybersecurity reasons.
The UK and the BBC have already banned TikTok
On Thursday, March 16, the UK announced an immediate ban on TikTok on government devices for security reasons. Even the British channel BBC announced on Monday, March 20, that it had asked its staff to delete the TikTok application from their corporate devices, except for professional demands, reports Guardian.
Canada
Following the US announcement, on February 27, the president of the Canadian Treasury Council, Mona Fortier, reported in a statement that the use of TikTok on all government mobile devices was prohibited. They indicate that the app presents an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security. Employees will also not be able to download the app in the future.
European Union
The three main bodies of the European Union, which are the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the EU, also prohibited using the app or installing it on official staff devices such as cell phones, tablets or computers. The ban came into effect on March 20, recommending legislators and collaborators to remove the application from their devices.
Belgium, New Zealand and Netherlandsamong others, have taken steps in the same direction, while Italy investigates TikTok for displaying “dangerous content”, as revealed on Tuesday.
taiwan
In December 2022, the bone of contention between China and the United States imposed a ban on the public sector, after the FBI warned that TikTok posed a risk to the national security of Taiwan. Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, are not allowed to use Chinese-made software, which includes apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app.
Indiaone of the first countries to ban TikTok
In 2020, India banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including messaging app WeChat, over privacy and security concerns. This happened shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops over a disputed Himalayan border. The companies had the opportunity to appeal, but the decision was made permanent in January 2021.
Afghanistan
The Taliban government of Afghanistan banned TikTok and the game PUBG in 2022 on the grounds of protecting young people from “being cheated.”
Pakistan
Pakistani authorities have temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since October 2020. The Arab nation cites concerns that the app promotes immoral content.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.