Why is TikTok banned?

In January, a Republican Senator, Josh Hawley of Missouri, introduced a bill to ban TikTok to all Americans after pushing for a measure, which was passed in December as part of a spending package, which banned TikTok on all federally issued devices. A separate bipartisan bill, introduced in December, also sought to ban TikTok and target all similar social media companies from countries like Russia and Iran.

What is the Biden administration doing?

It’s been largely quiet, though the White House flagged an ongoing review this week, in response to questions about TikTok. TikTok has been in confidential talks for years with the administration’s review panel, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, to answer questions about TikTok and ByteDance’s relationship with the Chinese government and the processing of data from users. TikTok said it had heard next to nothing since its August submission of a 90-page proposal detailing how it planned to operate in the United States while addressing national security concerns.

Can the government ban an app?

Most existing TikTok bans have been implemented in governments and universities that have the power to keep an app off their devices or networks.

A broader government-imposed ban that prevents Americans from using an app that lets them share their views and art could face legal challenges on First Amendment grounds, said member Caitlin Chin. from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. After all, a slew of Americans, including elected officials and big news outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post, are now making videos on TikTok.

“In democratic governments the government cannot simply prohibit free speech or speech without very strong and proper grounds to do so and it’s just not clear that we still have that,” he said. Ms. Chin said.

What if I already have TikTok on my phone when a ban is issued?

The exact mechanism for banning an app on private phones is unclear.

Ms Chin said the US could block TikTok from selling ads or updating its systems, essentially rendering it non-functional.

Apple and other companies that operate app stores block downloads of apps that no longer work. They also ban apps that contain inappropriate or illegal content, said Justin Cappos, a professor at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering.