TikTok ban could last MONTHS after US bill is passed, expert says

A TIKTOK ban could be just months away as Britain is likely to follow the US, an expert claims.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that would require the app’s parent company to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban.

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Concerns about the Chinese social media app escalated among Western governments last year over its widespread data collection.

One expert says Britain could follow the US lead and try to ban the app for its 25 million users here.

Robyn Caplan, an assistant professor at Duke University, said countries normally moved against TikTok in “packages.”

Kaplan told iNews: “As we saw last year with the ban of TikTok on government devices, many other countries, including Britain, have banned TikTok on government devices like the US.”

TikTok was banned on British government devices in March last year after the government deemed the app a security risk.

The US government banned the app from most government devices in 2022, just months before Britain.

In addition to the US, Britain, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Taiwan have also banned people who work for government agencies from using TikTok on staff devices.

Joe Biden has confirmed he will sign the bill into law if Congress passes the bill, but it still needs to be passed by the Senate.

Any British legislation would take some time to be debated and passed by Westminster.

Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University, said TikTok’s owner ByteDance could restructure the company in Britain to try to avoid the same fate.

Chander said: “It should now figure out how to partner with an outside company and two apps called ‘TikTok’.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously hinted at replicating nationwide bans, saying Britain will “look at what our allies do”.

TikTokers sign up for a significant amount of data collection when they create an account on the platform, such as:

• The device and operating system you are using
• How long you look at a message
• Which categories you like
• Where you are
• The keystroke rhythms you have when you type

TikTok called on senators to listen to their constituents before taking action.

A spokesperson said: “This process was secret and the bill was blocked for one reason: it is a ban.

As we saw last year with the ban of TikTok on government devices, many other countries including Britain have banned TikTok on government devices like the US.

Professor Robyn Caplan

“We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents and realize the impact this has on the economy, on seven million small businesses and on the 170 million Americans who use our service. “

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the US of “suppressing TikTok” despite never finding evidence that TikTok threatens national security.

He added: “This kind of bullying behavior that cannot win in fair competition disrupts the normal business activities of companies, damages the confidence of international investors in the investment environment and damages the normal international economic and trade order.

“In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the United States itself.”

TikTok has denied that it could be used as a tool by the Chinese government, claiming that it has never shared US users’ data with Chinese authorities and would refuse to do so if asked.

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