TikTok may be banned in US soon. Here's what happened when India did it

The US Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that mandates the divestiture of the highly popular social media app TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or its exclusion from the American market.

Driving the news

• This legislation was included in a larger $95 billion foreign aid package that provides military support to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which has now been approved by Congress and is on its way to President Joe Biden for his signature.
• Concerns have been raised by US and other Western officials regarding TikTok's widespread use among the youth, accusing it of enabling Beijing to gather data and conduct surveillance on its users. The app boasts 170 million users in the United States alone.
• President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law shortly, setting the stage for a significant shift in how foreign-owned apps operate in the US.

Why it matters

• This legislative move underscores the escalating tensions between the US and China in the domains of technology and cybersecurity.
• The bill not only targets TikTok but also provides the White House with new tools to potentially ban other foreign-owned apps deemed security threats.
• The decision could reshape the social media landscape in the US, impacting millions of users and content creators.
• The bill's passage comes amid a broader push by Western nations to limit the influence of Chinese technology companies due to fears of espionage and data theft. Countries like India have already taken similar steps by banning TikTok and other Chinese apps, citing national security risks.
• As Chinese apps continue to gain popularity worldwide, countries are assessing their dependency on China and seeking ways to reduce potential national security risks posed by these apps.
• The app is already banned in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan, and is restricted in many European countries.
• This move by the US may encourage other countries to reconsider the presence of foreign-owned tech platforms within their borders.

What they are saying

• TikTok, which says it has not shared and would not share US user data with the Chinese government, has told employees it would quickly go to court to try to block the legislation.
• "This is the beginning, not the end of this long process," TikTok told staff in a mail.
• Democratic Senator Ron Wyden expressed concerns that the bill "provides broad authority that could be abused by a future administration to violate Americans’ First Amendment rights."
• On the other hand, Senator Marco Rubio highlighted the necessity of the legislation, saying, "For years we've allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously shortsighted."

Zoom in: What happened when India banned TikTok

• In June 2020, India banned TikTok, causing a major disruption among its user base of approximately 200 million at the time. The ban, a response to a military clash with China, was part of a larger movement against Chinese influence in India's digital landscape.
• Following the ban, platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels quickly moved to fill the void, capturing the market previously dominated by TikTok.
• Rajib Dutta, a frequent scroller on TikTok in India, switched to Instagram after the ban. “It wasn’t really a big deal,” he said.
• Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy expert, noted that the ban opened a multi-billion dollar opportunity for other companies while also reflecting India's broader strategy to reduce dependence on Chinese investments and technology. The transition for users and content creators was notable but not seamless, with many finding alternatives on platforms that offered similar short-form video features.
• However, the situation in the US is different, as TikTok is likely to challenge the ban in court, and the First Amendment rights in the US Constitution may make it more difficult for the government to implement the ban compared to India.

What next

• If ByteDance fails to divest TikTok, app stores operated by Apple, Google, and others would be prohibited from offering the app or providing web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications or TikTok's website. The bill also grants the White House new authority to ban or force the sale of other foreign-owned apps deemed to be security threats.
• Once signed into law, ByteDance will have 270 days to divest TikTok's US operations, with a possible three-month extension if progress is being made on a deal. However, some senators have expressed concerns about the feasibility of ByteDance divesting by early 2025, given the complexity and potential cost of such a transaction.
• The TikTok ban could also become an issue in the November presidential campaign, with Republican candidate Donald Trump urging young voters to consider the potential consequences of the ban.

(With inputs from India)