{"id":4733,"date":"2024-03-29T10:01:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T15:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalstristg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=4733"},"modified":"2025-02-19T11:55:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T17:55:38","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-tiktok-ban-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-tiktok-ban-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need To Know About The TikTok Ban Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The app that created the Renegade dance and chaotic Duolingo videos is now facing a potential ban as the House of Representatives passes a TikTok ban bill on March 13th in America. Members of Congress are concerned about the app\u2019s Chinese-based owner, ByteDance, manipulating the app\u2019s algorithm for American users to benefit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But why does the House view TikTok as a threat? What does the bill entail? What would happen if the bill makes it through the Senate?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t worry! We are going to break it all down for you here.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Where The TikTok Ban Bill Has Been, And Where It Is Going<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/6898845\/tiktok-ban-bill-us-congress-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On March 5<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) from the House Select Committee on the CCP introduced H.R. 7521, also known as the \u201cProtecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two days after Krishnamoorthi and Gallagher introduced the bill, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously voted to approve the bill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, by March 13th, just eight days later, the measure passed with a House vote of<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/03\/13\/politics\/20240313-congress-tiktok-ban-bill-vote-dg\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">352-65<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">votes. The bill had bipartisan support with the vast majority of representatives on both sides voting in support of the bill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Democrats voted:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">155 voted \u201cyes\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50 voted \u201cno\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8 either did not vote or voted \u201cpresent\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Republicans voted:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">197 votes \u201cyes\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15 voted \u201cno\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7 either did not vote or voted \u201cpresent\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The measure is now awaiting its fate in the Senate, who does not seem to be in as much of a rush to push it along as the House. The lawmakers in the upper chamber are planning to do a thorough review before voting.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox9.com\/news\/tiktok-ban-bill-faces-senate-hurdles-amid-data-privacy-concerns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> said he will be consulting with the relevant committee chairs to determine the TikTok bill\u2019s path. The bill already appears to have some support in the upper chamber, however. Two lawmakers from the Senate Intelligence Committee, Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA), released a joint statement praising the bill, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the Senate passes the House bill,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/president-biden-supports-bill-could-ban-tiktok-us-rcna142528\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> President Joe Biden<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has already stated that he plans to sign the bill if it comes across his desk. This decision has come under fire as Biden joined TikTok in February 2024 as part of his presidential campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the bill is signed into law, TikTok\u2019s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, will have six months to divest for the video app to remain available in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If ByteDance does not divest, app stores like Google and Apple, as well as internet-hosting companies, would be barred from supporting TikTok and other ByteDance apps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4738 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-1024x653.jpeg\" alt=\"divestiture word or concept represented by wooden letter tiles on a wooden table with glasses and a book\" width=\"518\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-1024x653.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-300x191.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-768x489.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-1536x979.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-2048x1305.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AdobeStock_518236761-1900x1211.jpeg 1900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What H.R. 7521 Actually Entails<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before diving further in, it is important to break down what the bill says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/7521\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H.R. 7521<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> states it was created to protect the national security of the U.S. from threats of applications controlled by foreign adversarial governments. It uses TikTok as an example of one of those applications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bill would ban the distribution, maintenance, or update of an application labeled as being under the direct or indirect control of a foreign adversarial government. For example, although TikTok does not operate in China, it falls under the bill because its parent company, ByteDance, does. The application would also need to have users create an account to create, consume, or share content and have more than a million monthly active users. This bill does not include companies with the primary purpose of posting user-generated product reviews, business reviews, or travel information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This act uses a definition for \u201cforeign adversarial government\u201d from section<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/10\/4872\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4872(d)(2) of title 10<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, mentioning the following countries:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Democratic People\u2019s Republic of North Korea<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The People\u2019s Republic of China<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Russian Federation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the Islamic Republic of Iran<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once the White House labels an application to be a national security threat, the application has 180 days to divest before the terms of the bill go into place. And, the President of the United States must approve the divestiture to prevent a ban of the application. The covered country cannot directly or indirectly own more than a 20% stake in the company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if the bill is violated, well, the application will have to pay a hefty fine. If users within the U.S. access, maintain, or update the application, for example, the fine is up to $5,000 per user. In regards to TikTok, with over 170 million U.S. users, this stipulation could lead to some large fines.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Lawmakers Are Supporting The Bill<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Members of Congress who support that bill emphasize that this bill is not a ban on TikTok, but would force a separation of the app from its Chinese owner. They argue that TikTok can remain available in America if ByteDance sells.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/03\/13\/1237501725\/house-vote-tiktok-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> says that there are classified and unclassified national security assessments that show TikTok is a threat to user data and privacy and has been used to interfere with elections. Before the House vote, all representatives received a classified briefing from intelligence and national security agencies. But, no publicly-available evidence proves the CCP is using TikTok for surveillance or propaganda purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a now-deleted TikTok video, Rep. Jeff Jackson (R-NC), a prolific TikTok user with over 2.5 million followers on the app, told his followers that he did not think that TikTok was going to be banned. He explained that the bill would force ByteDance to divest, and Americans would be able to continue to use the app. In a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/t\/ZTLMEHYMj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> second video,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> he explains that he enjoys TikTok, but that the briefings he has been a part of raised security concerns that led him to vote \u201cyes\u201d to the bill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As seen with previous TikTok ban attempts, the support for the ban stems from the potential of the Chinese government having access to American user data and the national security risks associated with that.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Lawmakers Are Opposing The Bill<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The members of the House cite several concerns with how fast the bill went through, basing the security concerns on possibilities rather than facts, the effect the ban can have on TikTok creators and small businesses, and the infringement of free speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an interview with CNN,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/politics\/2024\/03\/13\/marjorie-taylor-greene-nancy-mace-tiktok-bill-house-trump-cnc-vpx.cnn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> states that she thinks Capitol Hill is overstepping, and that it is not the place of the government to ban apps from the app store.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/t\/ZTLMEeTe8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rep. Ilham Omar (D-MN)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> took to her own TikTok account to explain her decision to vote against the measure. Omar explains that not only is she concerned about First Amendment violations, but that if the purpose of the bill is to prevent the spread of propaganda and hate, then the goal should be to set standards that all social media platforms would have to follow rather than target one app.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>TikTok\u2019s Response<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4735 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-11-169x300.png\" alt=\"A screenshot from the TikTok app that says &quot;Stop a TikTok Shutdown&quot; and asks users to call their representatives. A red CTA button at the bottom that reads &quot;Call Now&quot;\" width=\"178\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-11-169x300.png 169w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-11-576x1024.png 576w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-11-768x1365.png 768w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-11-864x1536.png 864w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Untitled-design-11.png 945w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 178px) 100vw, 178px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TikTok has not been silent on the bill\u2019s journey through Congress. After the bill\u2019s introduction, users woke up to a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/krishnamoorthi-gallagher-tiktok-bill-calls-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">push notification<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the following Thursday, lobbying for users to call their representatives and speak out against the<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0bill. This action, however, had the opposite effect than intended. Severa<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">l lawmakers used the notification as further rea<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">son to support the bill, arguing the platform was using its influence over users to manipulate United States politics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the House vote, the President of TikTok,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/t\/ZTLMEV7qP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shou Zi Chew<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, posted a video on the official TikTok account explaining his thoughts on the vote. He stated that the company has invested in keeping user data safe and free from outside manipulation. Shou Zi Chew also clarifies that if the bill is passed into law, it WILL lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States. He also raises concerns for the American small businesses that depend on the video app to market their business and reach consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>History Of Trying To Ban TikTok<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This ain\u2019t the U.S. government\u2019s first rodeo trying to ban TikTok. There have been several attempts with varying levels of success. Here are some of the most notable attempts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Donald Trump Attempts To Ban TikTok<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In August of 2020, the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/07\/31\/tech\/tiktok-trump-bytedance-sale\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump administration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> attempted to ban TikTok and WeChat in the United States, citing concerns about the Chinese-based owner of TikTok posing a national security threat. The social media platform had until November 12th to prove there was no threat posed. This ban would have removed these two apps from the app stores of U.S. users and prohibited updates until the apps inevitably broke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A handful of<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/12\/07\/944039053\/u-s-judge-halts-trumps-tiktok-ban-the-2nd-court-to-fully-block-the-action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">federal judges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> blocked the ban in the following months, citing that the concerns for national security were posed in the theoretical, the right to due process wasn\u2019t being observed, and that the ban infringed on the right to free speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But a lot has changed since 2020.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-68538754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump has come out in opposition to the current TikTok ban bill<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, stating that this ban knocks out a main competitor to Facebook (Meta), whom Trump claims is a threat to U.S. security.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. TikTok Banned On Government Devices<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In late 2022 and early 2023, both the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/senate-bill\/1143\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">United States<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Canada took steps to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/tiktok-banned-us-government-where-else-around-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ban the use of TikTok on mobile devices issued by the government<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to concerns about privacy and cybersecurity on the Chinese-owned app.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China responded to the ban on government devices, describing it as abusing state power and suppressing foreign business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several other countries and governing bodies have banned TikTok on government devices, including India, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the European Union.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Montana\u2019s Attempt To Ban TikTok At The State Level<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In May of 2023, Montana became the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mt.gov\/Governors-Office\/Governor_Gianforte_Bans_TikTok_in_Montana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first state to ban TikTok at the state level.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Governor Greg Gianforte says the ban is to protect the private and sensitive data of Montanans from the Chinese Communist Party.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, Gianforte directed the state\u2019s chief information officer and executive agency directors to prohibit any social media apps tied to foreign adversaries on state equipment and for state business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/11\/30\/1205735647\/montana-tiktok-ban-blocked-state\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November of 2023<\/a>, a federal judge blocked the Montana&#8217;s ban before it went into effect. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy cites concerns of overstepping state power and potential violations of the First Amendment.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4737 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Buying-TikTok-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Buying-TikTok-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Buying-TikTok-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Buying-TikTok-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Buying-TikTok-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Buying-TikTok.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Happens If The Bill Passes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While users wait patiently to see what the Senate does with the bill, we can take some guesses on what might happen if the bill is passed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, looking at previous ban attempts, we can assume that this ban will go to the courts. Each TikTok ban at the federal level has been blocked by federal judges for concerns of free speech infringement and an overall lack of evidence of security threats. This scenario is likely to happen again, halting the ban\u2019s 180-day deadline to divest until the case has subsided.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the rough value of TikTok being at 100 billion dollars, few could actually purchase the platform. And a lot of the big names that can afford it are unlikely to purchase due to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/03\/14\/tech\/buyer-tiktok-for-sale-bytedance\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">antitrust concerns.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These companies include Meta, who owns Facebook and Instagram; Alphabet, who owns YouTube; and Microsoft, who is under scrutiny for their<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/ai-in-digital-marketing-what-it-is-how-to-use-it-trends-predictions\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relationship with OpenAI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there are a few individuals who have shown interest in<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/economy\/former-treasury-secretary-mnuchin-aims-to-buy-tiktok-with-investor-group\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">purchasing TikTok<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has reported that he is going to get an investor group together to purchase the video app if the bill passes into law. Kevin O\u2019Leary from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shark Tank<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has also shown interest in the purchase of TikTok, but has expressed concern about the tight deadline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there is interest in a divestiture on the side of the United States, that might not be the case for<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/03\/14\/tiktok-ban-china-would-block-sale-of-short-video-app.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> China.<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The divestiture\u2014and subsequent acquisition of the app by another company\u2014would require approval by the Chinese government, who is most likely going to reject it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A spokesperson for China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the bill is at odds with the ideas of fair competition, international trade rules, and that the phrasing could suppress excellent companies in the name of national security.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A ban or forced divestiture of a social media application at the federal level is unprecedented, so there are a lot of pieces up in the air as Americans wait to see what the Senate does in the coming months. But businesses, agencies, and social media managers alike need to prepare for every scenario. The situation is moving fast, and it is important to keep up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/use-tiktok-for-business-like-a-pro\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses on TikTok should have a plan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for what to do if the bill is passed and it does not look like the application will be sold. Businesses should ask themselves the following to get a plan started:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How will you move your following from TikTok to your other active channels?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What platforms will the 170 million users shift to if the app is banned?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How will you change your digital marketing strategy to accommodate the shift in channel priorities?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are you going to do with all your content if users still want access?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Need Help With Social Media Marketing?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Need help navigating the potential ban of a crucial channel to your business?<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Give us a call!<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/our-team\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top team of digital marketing experts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we would love to help you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/solutions\/paid-social\/\">build a social media marketing strategy<\/a> and discuss exciting ways to generate video content to help you reach and connect with your target audience.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The app that created the Renegade dance and chaotic Duolingo videos is now facing a potential ban as the House of Representatives passes a TikTok ban bill on March 13th in America. Members of Congress are concerned about the app\u2019s Chinese-based owner, ByteDance, manipulating the app\u2019s algorithm for American users to benefit the Chinese Communist [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":4740,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[162,213],"tags":[101,100],"class_list":["post-4733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media","category-social-media-advertising-services","tag-social-media","tag-tiktok"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}