TikTok, the app famous for its short videos, has a huge following in the US with 170 million users. Recently, President Joe Biden signed a law that could change the future of TikTok in the country.
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The new rule requires ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, to sell its stake in the app within a year or else TikTok might be banned. This is a big step in the ongoing tech disagreement between the US and China.
President Biden’s decision is based on worries about how safe our data is and whether it could affect national security. The law is trying to deal with these possible dangers from the widely used app.
Even though this law could affect TikTok, it’s not likely that the app will stop working right away. There might be legal fights and it could be hard to sell the app, so any changes might take some time. This law is part of a bigger one that also gives help to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
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ByteDance, which is a big tech company from China, bought Musical.ly in 2017 and changed it into TikTok. Since then, US security people have been watching the app because they’re worried China might use it for the wrong reasons.
Still, TikTok has become really important for sharing short videos in the US. It’s also where a lot of young Americans get their news, according to a study by Pew Research Center.
Senator Maria Cantwell, who leads the Senate Commerce Committee, said that Congress isn’t trying to punish TikTok or ByteDance. They want to stop bad guys from spying, watching us, and doing things that could hurt Americans, including those in the military and government.
After the law was signed, TikTok’s boss, Shou Zi Chew, made a video to tell users not to worry. He believes they can handle any legal issues and says the app should keep working as usual.
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