TikTok: Time is Running Out
Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America (USA), has released an official statement declaring his desire to place a nationwide ban on TikTok, a widely popular social media platform created by Chinese company ByteDance. Relations between China and the USA have not been the friendliest due to issues such as the enactment of Hong Kong’s national security law and the territorial dispute over the South China Sea, and this additional argument over TikTok is expected to further harm ties between the two powerful nations. The main reasoning behind Trump’s decision is the apprehension regarding the privacy of TikTok users; he is concerned that the Chinese government will demand users’ personal information from ByteDance with the intention of using it out of ill will. The USA, however, is not the first nation to project disquietude towards TikTok, as India’s government already banned the app on June 29th, alerting Japan, Australia, and other neighboring countries to look into the issue as well. Prompted by the global increase of skepticism towards TikTok, ByteDance has been doing its best to recuperate from their now-tainted image while the rest of the world is on the edge of their seats, waiting to see how much this will affect the relationship between China and the USA.