Is the clock ticking for TikTok?

In a 352-65 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives issued an ultimatum to ByteDance, which owns the internationally popular app TikTok.

Essentially, you can sell your app (to a U.S. company), or it will be banned in the U.S.

President Joe Biden said he would sign it into law, although the bill appears to have uncertain traction in the Senate.

If the bill is signed into law, it is quite probable that TikTok will cease to exist in our country – its tombstone next to Flappy Bird and Vine. A ban is more likely than you think, considering Americans only make up 10% of the over one billion views that TikTok reels monthly. Analysts doubt ByteDance would be willing to part with its most profitable platform.

All of this is because of a perceived national security risk that has yet to be proven. U.S. officials still have not publicly presented evidence that the Chinese government has accessed the user data of U.S. TikTok users.

Instead, they have thrown out empty accusations. One congressman was seemingly unaware of the difference between Singapore and China. It was an embarrassing spectacle, and it will be even more so if this bill becomes signed into law.

Our nation is so quick to deplore China for censuring free speech, and this bill comes right out of the CCP's playbook. TikTok isn't allowed in China, either. Their app is called "Douyin."

Despite what Congress says, the bill is effectively a ban. (Gee, where have we heard this before?) Worse, it's a rug pull.  It's a move to pseudo-nationalize TikTok by folding it underneath a domestic company. 

Besides, what is the assurance that an American company will even play by the rules anyway? Let's not forget about the $725 million class action lawsuit against Meta, the parent company for Facebook, in which the company admitted to giving third parties access to user data without their consent. That user data was used to inform political campaigns. 

TikTok is an app that is contributed overwhelmingly by individual creators and small businesses, who are often paid for their posts after reaching a certain number of followers. I have a TikTok. My family and friends have one. Even Clay Today has an official TikTok, which I help manage. 

And it all could be taken away because our domestic media companies weren't getting a piece of the pie.