This TikTok ban nonsense is starting to get out of hand. As the US government fears the Chinese boogeyman is stealing all of our data, it appears nobody has really thought of a better solution. People like Steve Mnuchin and Bobby Kotick have put their hats in the ring to buy TikTok to save it from being banned. And it appears the DOJ has a keen interest in seeing it stay around in US hands.
DOJ convincing Senators to back bill
According to Bloomberg, it appears that the Department of Justice is having some very hush-hush meetings with US Senators. You see, while the US House of Representatives have passed the bill overwhelmingly, it doesn’t seem the Senate will. The DOJ is trying to convince Senators to pass the legislation that would force TikTok’s divestment from ByteDance instead of an outright ban.
The concern about this bill from the US side of things is that six months (the amount of time given to TikTok should the bill pass) is too short a time to find an owner and do all the regulatory things.
Meanwhile, ByteDance has said that it will not be forced into a sale. In the app, TikTok has urged users to call representatives and share good stories about the app. It has also talked up the privacy angle that keeps being brought up. Not only ByteDance, but many other publications note that TikTok does not collect much information. It maintains that the information collected “is routinely collected by companies in order to provide access to online services.”
Unlike some of its competitors, TikTok does not require users to disclose their real names, does not ask users about their employment or relationship status, and does not request that U.S. users disclose their precise geolocation information.”
statement from ByteDance via Bloomberg
As many people have been saying long before TikTok became a thing, nationwide data privacy laws need to be made to protect users’ data. However, the US government has no interest in doing that because it wants your data. The fact that the DOJ has now gotten involved further solidifies the argument. The DOJ and law enforcement in general has always wanted to get at your data. They continuously fight against your right to have encrypted devices to protect yourself and your privacy.
When they tell you who they are, believe them.
Source: 9to5Mac
