TikTok ban likely in US: A lesson from the app's India journey

TikTok has inched one step closer to a ban in the US as the Joe Biden administration has come down heavily on one of the world’s most popular apps for its association with China. The US Senate has passed a bill to ban TikTok if its China-based parent company ByteDance refuses to sell it. However, there are lessons for the US from one of the most lucrative markets for tech companies, India, which banned TikTok about four years back.

What does the new US bill say?

The new bill is a shot in the arm for Democratic and Republican party members who have previously advocated legislation to block TikTok in the US. Should the bill become a law, ByteDance would have up to a year to sell TikTok or else face the ban. In simple words, the bill, if signed by the US President, will force ByteDance to divest TikTok through a sale in nine months initially. The President could extend the deadline by up to three more months if a potential deal between ByteDance and a company takes shape. The bottom line: the US government wants TikTok to continue operating as long as its Chinese associations are removed.

TikTok’s India saga

While TikTok’s fate in the US looks uncertain, the new bill has a provision that would allow the app to continue its availability if ByteDance agrees to its sale. A TikTok ban is conditional in the US, unlike in India where the government took swift action to ban TikTok. At the time of the ban, TikTok emerged as the top downloaded app on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store in India. ByteDance’s short-form video app had roughly 150 million monthly active users before it was met with an ill fate.

Even though the latest bill comes across as infallible, it is not the first one to call for a ban on TikTok. There have been demands for the removal of TikTok from the US. The Senate members came up with a bill previously, too, but it drew criticism from some lawmakers. Another reason why the US cannot just promptly ban TikTok is because of its immense popularity. Nearly every Hollywood celebrity, famous politician, and content creator with a huge fan base is on TikTok. The government could face strong criticism if it decides to ban TikTok immediately. But the US can learn to live without TikTok just like India.

The ban on TikTok in India was part of the government’s manifold measures to clamp down on China after the Galvan Valley skirmish that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. The Indian government cited that the app’s prejudicial approach to operating business in the country could harm the sovereignty. After the ban, TikTok made several attempts to remove the stalemate with the government, but no respite. The ban left millions of users high and dry, but they quickly found suitable alternatives, including Instagram Reels and several homegrown apps such as ShareChat, Chingari, and Moj.

What about the US?

The US and several other countries praised India’s decision to ban Chinese apps, but the conditions for a ban in the US differ. While the concerns that China could mislead the US elections are paramount for the ban, US officials and lawmakers have also voiced concerns about data privacy and safety. They are worried that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to share data collected from users in the US.

However, the government cannot ban the app based on the hypothesis. According to cybersecurity experts, removing an app from a country’s ecosystem is less likely to enhance their data privacy and safety. That makes it difficult for the US to issue a prompt ban. The current bill seems a step in that direction without certainty on a ban. If the US wants to remove TikTok like India did, it needs to take a different approach where conditional provisions are not present. The Indian ecosystem has shown what it is like to live in a TikTok-less world. Without TikTok, Instagram and other platforms born in the US could thrive, giving users suitable alternatives.