TikTok ban raises tensions as Trump hints at 90‑day pause

In the United States, a law prohibiting the use of TikTok has come into effect, causing the app to stop working. This decision follows national security concerns regarding Chinese control over the app. Incoming President Donald Trump, who will assume office on Monday, has already announced the possibility of suspending the ban for 90 days.

TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is facing challenges due to new American regulations. The law requires ByteDance to sell the American segment of the application or face a ban on operations in the USA. The decision is supported by politicians who fear that user data could be accessible to the Chinese government, posing a significant threat to national security.

TikTok informed users in the USA about the suspension of the app's operations while expressing hope for a resolution. President-elect Donald Trump stated that he will work towards reinstating TikTok, which may mean a temporary suspension of the ban to allow more time to find an investor. Interestingly, in a message to users, the company directly mentions the politician's name and emphasizes their willingness to negotiate. TikTok's CEO, Shou Chew, plans to attend Trump's inauguration, which might suggest the possibility of discussions on this matter, as reported by "The Wall Street Journal."

In 2024, the US Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or shut it down by 19th January 2025.

All this is under the act known as the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" (PAFACA), aimed at safeguarding national security by regulating applications controlled by foreign adversaries. President Joe Biden signed this law on 24th April 2024. PAFACA mandates that social media applications owned by entities from countries considered adversaries of the United States, such as China, be sold to entities outside those countries or cease operations within the USA.

The United States Supreme Court upheld the law, agreeing that Congress’s concerns about data collection by a foreign adversary justify such measures.

Warnings about TikTok are not confined to the USA. Canadian intelligence has raised concerns about the risk of user data being transferred to the Chinese government, prompting debates concerning privacy and cybersecurity.

For some time, American agencies have warned about the risks associated with TikTok, including possible surveillance by Chinese authorities. The law that has come into effect is part of a broader initiative aimed at reducing Chinese influence on the American technology market. Congress supported it with an overwhelming majority.

Business relations between the United States and China are intricate and fraught with tensions, especially concerning technological security, trade, and investment. TikTok, a Chinese app owned by ByteDance, has become a symbol of these tensions, representing both China's growing presence in the global tech market and the USA's concerns about potential threats to national security.

For years, the United States has viewed China as a strategic rival in technology. Companies like TikTok are perceived in the USA as potential instruments of the Chinese government for collecting user data, which could threaten American national security. In the case of TikTok, the concerns involve both the collection of users' personal data (such as location, preferences, or contacts) and the potential for content manipulation or censoring content critical of China.

Despite this technological rivalry, the USA and China remain deeply economically interconnected. China is a key trade partner for the USA, both as a source of imports (e.g., electronics, clothing, or raw materials) and as a market for American products, such as agricultural goods, automobiles, or services. American companies, including Apple, Tesla, and Microsoft, have significant production and sales operations in China, rendering them dependent on stable relations between the countries.