David Bridges
With TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew set to look earlier than US congress this week, in what many contemplate to be a pivotal look that might resolve the destiny of the app within the area, TikTok has at present shared a brand new consumer milestone within the US, whereas additionally calling on US customers to contact their elected representatives to voice their assist for the platform.
At present, TikTok has introduced that it now has over 150 million US customers.
As per TikTok:
“We’re honored to be a house for our immensely numerous neighborhood in the USA, made up of<em> </em>almost half the nation’s inhabitants, together with ebook lovers, foodies, households, rising artists and a lot extra. This milestone wouldn’t have been potential with out the onerous work and unwavering dedication of virtually 7,000 TikTok staff within the US, in addition to our unbelievable neighborhood within the nation and all over the world.”
Learn as: ‘TikTok is actually necessary, not simply to customers, however to the US economic system too, and banning it might be a really unhealthy factor’.
Chew himself has additionally posted a video concerning the milestone, whereas additionally calling on US customers for his or her assist.
@tiktok Our CEO, Shou Chew, shares a particular message on behalf of the complete TikTok crew to thank our neighborhood of 150 million People forward of his congressional listening to later this week.
♬ authentic sound – TikTok
The brand new push additional underlines simply how vital the US ban risk is, with authorities officers reportedly already placing strain on TikTok to separate from its Chinese language dad or mum firm, with the intention to get rid of considerations associated to potential knowledge sharing.
With US/China tensions rising, particularly as China continues to publicly assist Russia, amid its ongoing battle with Ukraine, US officers have continued to sound the alarm concerning the dangers related to TikTok, which, theoretically, might share US consumer knowledge with the CCP, which might then put US residents in danger.
On this context, the latest strikes to ban TikTok from authorities employees units make some sense – however the huge query, which could be answered this week, is whether or not common customers are additionally beneath risk from the identical course of.
And once more, that risk has now change into very current for TikTok:
“Sure politicians have raised considerations concerning the potential banning of our platform, which might straight have an effect on all 150 million People who’ve embraced TikTok. To proactively handle US nationwide safety considerations, we have taken unprecedented steps by enhancing safeguards for our US customers. During the last two years, we have invested $1.5 billion in organising TikTok US Knowledge Safety and have been constructing a complete framework to isolate protected US consumer knowledge. At present, we’re additionally proud to launch the U.S. Knowledge Safety (USDS) website geared toward offering transparency into our commitments and answering widespread questions round our efforts to safeguard knowledge.”
TikTok lately stated that the platform is unprofitable at current because of the quantity that it’s outlaid to deal with these considerations, and it’s clear that TikTok will do something that it might probably to keep away from a ban, whereas additionally remaining beneath Chinese language possession.
On which, it could haven’t any alternative – the CCP, which must approve any spin-off of the app, is reportedly not proud of the US seeking to bully TikTok out of Chinese language possession. As such, at this stage, it appears unlikely that Chinese language officers would enable the separation of the platform from dad or mum firm ByteDance.
Which leaves TikTok within the center. If the US does look to place extra strain on TikTok after this week’s look by Chew, then it could be pressured out of the market, with no different choices to keep up reference to its 150 million-strong American viewers.
That might be an enormous blow for the app – which already misplaced round 200 million customers when India banned it again in 2020.
As such, TikTok is now pulling out all of the stops, in an effort to save lots of the platform – as a result of whereas a sell-off, previously, has seemingly been the worst-case situation, that will not even be an possibility this time round.
I’ve maintained {that a} full ban of the app appears unlikely, purely because of the amount of cash at stake, which might be motivation sufficient for TikTok to seek out another answer.
However perhaps, there really gained’t be another choice this time.
Maya Kensington
