TikTok to be banned in America

[Retro]

TikTok has long been suspected of spying for China and is now, finally, threatened with an imminent ban in America unless its parent company sells it.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers voted to ban the video-sharing app last year, over concerns about its links to the Chinese government. TikTok has repeatedly stated it does not share information with Beijing.

Passed in April last year, the law allows TikTok owner ByteDance until 19 January 2025 to sell the US version of the platform to a neutral party to avert an outright ban.

It would mean that from Sunday, Apple and Google will no longer offer the app to new users or provide any security updates to current users - which could kill it off eventually.

ByteDance has vowed not to sell TikTok and said it planned to shut US operations of the app on Sunday unless there is a reprieve.

TikTok ban: US Supreme Court upholds law that prohibits the app

A law passed last year requires TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the video platform or face a ban.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tiffany]

I've been watching the progress of the TikTok ban for awhile now. I didn't expect our Supreme Court to let TikTok be suspended/banned on Sunday. Biden said he would leave it up to Trump. Trump said he will evaluate once he's in office and then the SC does this.

There's going to be a lot of very unhappy people including influencers. I don't TikTok, but there are strong arguments for both sides to TikTok, however, security concerns are at the top.

 

[Astro What]

The funny thing about this is now how many of those politicians are trying to walk their positions back.
What they originally thought was that they could intimidate ByteDance into selling it to an American company. Seems that hasn't worked out like they wished for and now there are a ton of voters up in arms about it as it directly impacts their ability to make money.

 

[Retro]

This is interesting: TikTok have pulled the app in America, even though the ban isn't being enforced. Also, if I set my VPN to America, the home page refuses to load on the PC and eventually times out. Works ok, when I switch it off and my IP is from the UK again.

This BBC article has a short video showing what happens in America if someone tries to access the app on their smartphone.

Watch: How TikTok 'went dark' in the US

BBC Tech Correspondent Lily Jamali explains what happened and what it means for the popular platform.

www.bbc.co.uk

Also note that it's not possible to download it from the Apple App Store in America either, as this article explains. I can still see it on mine over here in the UK though.

This article explains the situation in detail:

TikTok was recently banned in the United States, and various tech companies with their respective app stores are now liable to remove the app. While some users are not taking it lightly, Apple has decided to remove TikTok from the App Store in the United States, which means that users will not be able to download it on their iPhone and iPad devices. TikTok remains functional in other parts of the world where the law is not applicable.

TikTok Is No Longer Available On The App Store In The U.S. As Apple Takes Action Following The Ban

Apple has removed TikTok from the App Store in the United States following its ban in the region, and it remains "temporarily unavailable."

wccftech.com

TikTok Has Officially Been Banned In The U.S. Thanks To a Federal Law Being Passed, App No Longer Available On Multiple Platforms

The short-video uploading platform TikTok has gone dark in the U.S., with the federal government introducing a law that bans the app

wccftech.com

TikTok goes dark in the US ahead of ban

App no longer available on US Apple and Google stores after supreme court upholds lawmakers’ ban

www.theguardian.com

 

[Astro What]

This is interesting: TikTok have pulled the app in America, even though the ban isn't being enforced. Also, if I set my VPN to America, the home page refuses to load on the PC and eventually times out. Works ok, when I switch it off and my IP is from the UK again.

Not much different than folks in Texas and a few other states that try to access PornHub. If it (and a few others) detect your IP is based in one of those states you get a block page notice.

 

[Retro]

That's right, it's a simple IP block, so I'm sure installing a VPN on the smartphone would get around this. It remains fully functional here in the UK. That BBC video didn't discuss this rather important point.

 

[Retro]

I knew nothing would happen to TikTok as they're too big and powerful. Five minutes of brinksmanship from them and the US government caved. Pathetic.

TikTok restoring services in US after Trump pledge

TikTok is resuming services to its 170 million users in US after President-elect Donald Trump said he would give the app a reprieve.

www.bbc.co.uk

TikTok says it is restoring service in US after Trump vowed to delay ban

President-elect says order would give company extra 90 days to find buyer and suggests that US take a 50% stake

www.theguardian.com

 

[Astro What]

I knew nothing would happen to TikTok as they're too big and powerful. Five minutes of brinksmanship from them and the US government caved. Pathetic.

All this was about was the US government trying to force ByteDance to sell. And then when ByteDance didn't fall for the intimidation the folks involved starting doing their 'oh-shit" routine in trying to figure out how to dig themselves out of the hole that they had dug.

 

[Retro]

There's all that alleged spying for China that's created this situation. Also, it's never good when a company can beat the government, unless they've got right on their side, which doesn't look the case here.

 

[Geffers]

Highlights hypocrisy of politicians that US, along with UK and EU can criticise the likes of China, NK and Iran for blocking citizens access to certain apps but feel it is OK when they do likewise.

Am currently in US, TikTok is blocked but easy to overcome with a UK VPN server.

 

[Retro]

Highlights hypocrisy of politicians that US, along with UK and EU can criticise the likes of China, NK and Iran for blocking citizens access to certain apps but feel it is OK when they do likewise.

The situation is different, so you can't compare them. In repressive regimes like Iran, those platforms allow the proles to criticise Dear Leader which Dear Leader doesn't like so he suppresses their ability to do so as it hurts his fragile ego. With TikTok, the government has evidence that they're spying for the chinese government so is right to ban the app. So no, it's not hypocrisy. That TikTok continues after the Supreme Court ruled on banning them starting from today shows how weak the government is in the face of powerful vested interests.

 

[Astro What]

With TikTok, the government has evidence that they're spying for the chinese government so is right to ban the app.

I don't know it's so much that they have any evidence per-se, they just know that it would be easy enough for a government to do.
But honestly, with all the big hacks of current US owned companies that have stored data of citizens that have occurred, maybe their concern should be more on infrastructure hardening than trying to force an outside the country company that is doing legitimate business into selling to someone that they feel is more trustworthy just because something "could" be done.

 

[Retro]

tbh I don't know enough about this situation other than this product is deemed to be a security risk and they do have some sort of evidence to suggest it or wouldn't have taken such drastic action. It's a bit like with the situation with Kaspersky being banned in America for similar reasons. In that case though, you can be sure that if there had been any evidence of wrongdoing by them, competing a/v vendors would have had a field day outing them to destroy their business, so I reckon they might perhaps be clean. Can't say for sure though.

 

[Astro What]

and they do have some sort of evidence to suggest it or wouldn't have taken such drastic action.

What they have is past actions by the Chinese government in some hardware that was found years ago.
They have then made the inference that since China did that once, they are still doing.
Now, you want to know the real irony? The US government has been just as guilty of the same thing over the years, requiring back doors to be coded into both hardware and software. And you can see the inference of the proof of that by their whining when Apple quit playing ball with them and began working to secure their code and making it harder for LEO agencies to get into those Apple devices.

 

[Retro]

I dunno, maybe. I'd have to research it to agree or disagree with that, so I'll just take it at face value.

I remember them whining when Apple wouldn't hack that dead terrorist's iPhone for them a few years ago. The whole situation was farcical and if I remember correctly, they went to some Israeli company to eventually break into it.

Apple–FBI encryption dispute - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Geffers]

tbh I don't know enough about this situation other than this product is deemed to be a security risk and they do have some sort of evidence to suggest it or wouldn't have taken such drastic action.

Faith in the Government, quite trusting.

 

[Retro]

Faith in the Government, quite trusting.

That's really inappropriate and a bit rich coming from someone who actually believes that Trump is looking out for ordinary Americans when there's mountains of evidence to the contrary, but is in total denial about it. So, you trust Trump's government. How trusting...

Anyway, here's another great Brian Tyler Cohen video, this time, explaining just how corrupt the situation with TikTok is, if you care to actually watch it. Note the hard evidence he includes to support his claims, so they're not just hot air. Trump is clearly bought and paid for by TikTok. I know it won't convince you that your messiah is corrupt, but it still ok to put the evidence in front of you, to give you the opportunity to see it.

@Astro What I think you'll find this video interesting too.

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[Astro What]

I keep up with BTC. He's one of the few I have subscribed to on YT.

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