If we had to explain it to teenagers in 2015, we’d say “oh em gee the USA and TikTok are having one outs” and they’d say “what’s TikTok?”
Once again, America is flexing its muscles, attempting to strong-arm TikTok into submission. Between battling for Universal Music rights and facing persistent accusations of digital privacy breaches and espionage, TikTok seems to be constantly embroiled in chaos!
TLDR
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, faces a potential mandate to sell off its ownership stake within 165 days to avoid a complete ban in the U.S.
Didn’t they already do this?
Most existing cases against TikTok have been on state-wide levels or company policy. This looks to be one of the biggest moves so far.
Interesting, given TikTok just won its case against Montana (the state in the US, not the NZ winery or the Love Island star), with the judge referring to the ban as ‘unconstitutional’, and a First Amendment violation to Americans.
Despite experts finding no additional evidence of harm or privacy risks compared to companies like Facebook or Google, politicians persist in discussing the possibility of a complete TikTok ban unless a separation from ByteDance is achieved.
What will this mean once the 165 days are up?
It’s hard to say! TikTok is prompting US users to reach out to their local congress representative. The inundation of calls made highlights the power these apps have in politically engaging young people.
The House approved legislation that could potentially prohibit the use of TikTok on the 13th of March. President Biden has expressed his intention to ratify it, contingent on its endorsement by the Senate. The complicated legal process in the states means 165 days is not a long period of time. It also doesn’t account for the substantive knowledge gaps around the technology that needs to be filled for government officials to take a stance.
TikTok is facing a lot of scrutiny lately, sparking conversations worldwide. While we support data protection and user safety, there seems to be a bias in discussions about TikTok that isn’t present for other American-owned apps.
What it could mean for your business if it goes ahead:
• Loss of access to large American audiences
• Disruption of influencer marketing in the US
• Brands will look to influencers on more politically stable platforms such as Instagram or Facebook again
• A shift in advertising budgets – likely back to the usual suspects (which is speculated to cause an increase in costs due to increased competition)
What you should be doing to future-proof in the age of social media uncertainty:
• Keep a diverse social presence and don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
• Prioritise building a database you own such as an email marketing database. You can encourage those loyalists to move with you if you need to shift platforms.
• Invest time into proper documentation, ownership rights, storage and protection of your content.
• Give users a reason to follow you on different platforms – yes that means making platform-specific content as much as possible.
Get in touch if a diverse content strategy that is future-focused and unique to your brand might make you feel more confident on socials when scary news like this comes around. Social isn’t going away anytime soon, no matter what the US politicians might like to meddle in.
Once again, America is flexing its muscles, attempting to strong-arm TikTok into submission. Between battling for Universal Music rights and facing persistent accusations of digital privacy breaches and espionage, TikTok seems to be constantly embroiled in chaos!
TLDR
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, faces a potential mandate to sell off its ownership stake within 165 days to avoid a complete ban in the U.S.
Didn’t they already do this?
Most existing cases against TikTok have been on state-wide levels or company policy. This looks to be one of the biggest moves so far.
Interesting, given TikTok just won its case against Montana (the state in the US, not the NZ winery or the Love Island star), with the judge referring to the ban as ‘unconstitutional’, and a First Amendment violation to Americans.
Despite experts finding no additional evidence of harm or privacy risks compared to companies like Facebook or Google, politicians persist in discussing the possibility of a complete TikTok ban unless a separation from ByteDance is achieved.
What will this mean once the 165 days are up?
It’s hard to say! TikTok is prompting US users to reach out to their local congress representative. The inundation of calls made highlights the power these apps have in politically engaging young people.
The House approved legislation that could potentially prohibit the use of TikTok on the 13th of March. President Biden has expressed his intention to ratify it, contingent on its endorsement by the Senate. The complicated legal process in the states means 165 days is not a long period of time. It also doesn’t account for the substantive knowledge gaps around the technology that needs to be filled for government officials to take a stance.
TikTok is facing a lot of scrutiny lately, sparking conversations worldwide. While we support data protection and user safety, there seems to be a bias in discussions about TikTok that isn’t present for other American-owned apps.
What it could mean for your business if it goes ahead:
• Loss of access to large American audiences
• Disruption of influencer marketing in the US
• Brands will look to influencers on more politically stable platforms such as Instagram or Facebook again
• A shift in advertising budgets – likely back to the usual suspects (which is speculated to cause an increase in costs due to increased competition)
What you should be doing to future-proof in the age of social media uncertainty:
• Keep a diverse social presence and don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
• Prioritise building a database you own such as an email marketing database. You can encourage those loyalists to move with you if you need to shift platforms.
• Invest time into proper documentation, ownership rights, storage and protection of your content.
• Give users a reason to follow you on different platforms – yes that means making platform-specific content as much as possible.
Get in touch if a diverse content strategy that is future-focused and unique to your brand might make you feel more confident on socials when scary news like this comes around. Social isn’t going away anytime soon, no matter what the US politicians might like to meddle in.
