On January 19, the U.S. government imposed a ban, comprising apps owned by ByteDance, including well-known ones like TikTok, Marvel Snap, and CapCut. This was done as concerns rise about data privacy and security concerning foreign companies. To ease tensions, President Trump postponed the ban for an additional 75 days.
As of now, despite the ban being lifted, TikTok has still not been restored to the App Store or Google Play for downloading. Users in the U.S. are still managing to use TikTok and other ByteDance apps that have already been installed, though they are severely limited. They cannot redownload or reinstall the apps, which means they do not function neither in-app purchases nor new subscriptions.
The situation represents the latest episode of the ongoing feud between the U.S. government and ByteDance, which stirred the debate in mid-2020 amid the Trump administration. The issue of ownership and control of the app has raised several legal and ethical questions. Fast forward to April 2024, President Biden banned ByteDance from selling the popular application to American buyers. ByteDance, in turn, has responded to this ultimatum with a threat that it would shut down TikTok, rather than sell it to the American company.
When the app debated in its earliest days, Trump told the American people everything would be okay, and TikTok would remain in the United States. But right after the ban was formally enforced, he intervened once again to extend the deadline by giving ByteDance a 75-day reprieve to find a buyer for the app. Failed to provide any information afterward regarding any attempt to sell it or divest it.
That ByteDance owns TikTok gets a huge mistake, comparing it to the eminent domain concept-even though under current law enemy-domain does not fit in there, as TikTok was established by Chinese entrepreneurs, and, now, owned nearly 60% by institutional investors, while original founders and the global setting hold about 20% each, making a complex situation considering the nature of ownership with regard to the app.
