The New TikTok? A Controversial Timeline
By: Rylee Lyons
TikTok, one of the most popular apps used by people worldwide, has gone through many trials since it began in 2017.
After its merge with Musical.ly, the app has hooked many to scroll its constant content. It has been a hub for creatives to post their content and potentially earn funds from the creator fund and has kickstarted the careers of many musicians, filmmakers, actors, and artists.
It has provided a sense of community for many, allowing for users to post content about various issues and reach a relatable audience. The app pushes a hyper-specific algorithm that feeds each user content they are interested in. The data that TikTok collects has posed political concern from U.S lawmakers who continuously threaten to ban the app.
The question is — are Americans truly afraid of TikTok taking their data, or is this a governmental attempt to censor them? Here’s the timeline of everything TikTok has gone through since the first effort to ban it in the states.
2019:
Speculation begins regarding China having U.S data via TikTok, federal workers and military personnel with government-issued cellular devices are urged to delete the app.
2020:
The Trump administration proposes a ban on TikTok for the first time and signs an executive order forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to limit or eliminate their involvement with the app. TikTok sues the Trump administration for a violation of due process regarding the executive order.
2021:
Biden reverses this executive order and promptly delays the decision on the TikTok ban.
2022:
TikTok remains safe for most of the year, yet reports still come out in relation to China’s use of U.S data. In the latter part of the year, the FBI raises national security concerns regarding ByteDance again.
2023:
The Biden administration reorders all federal employees to delete TikTok from their government issued devices. Singaporean TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appears at a U.S congressional hearing, attempts to affirm that TikTok and ByteDance are not a threat to U.S security.
2024:
A bill suggesting TikTok either sell to a U.S company to prevent being banned in the country is proposed by congressional lawmakers despite the app’s efforts to improve its protection of user data. The house and senate pass the bill to President Biden, who signs it. TikTok and ByteDance sue the U.S federal government once again. Donald Trump and opposition Kamala Harris both bring their 2024 presidential campaigns to TikTok, despite controversy. The federal government upholds their decision to ban TikTok in the U.S.
2025:
On January 17th, the government announces that the ban will take place the next day. On the 18th, it did… for 12 hours. President-elect Donal Trump asked the U.S Supreme Court to halt the ban so he can find a solution with the company, framing himself as the app’s hero by bringing it back to U.S screens.
2026:
After even more review, it is announced that TikTok will continue to run in the U.S under a new board of American directors. This new joint venture between ByteDance and big-tech investors Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, is supposed to improve the security of U.S data, and will likely result in further review of content, and possible changes in the algorithm for U.S users.
