TikTok could very soon be banned from all US government devices.
If it only affects a small number of users of the application, this decision could be very bad publicity for the platform.
A government ban, but also a ban from many states
Will TikTok become the new Chinese tech enemy of the United States? It seems that after having made Huawei its pet peeve for many years, the American administration is increasingly interested in the social network forged by ByteDance. And not to his delight.
Indeed, a proposal intended to banish the application from all devices of the American federal administration has just been slipped into a spending bill. It must go through Congress this week before being signed by Joe Biden. Once this legislative circuit is complete, the White House Office of Management and Budget will be given 60 days to enforce the ban.
This is the latest effort by US authorities to reduce TikTok’s influence on its territory. For them, the network would pose a national security problem by allowing China to influence users and control their devices. The White House as well as the Department of State, Defense and Homeland Security already apply this kind of measure. The same is true for 19 states in the country that recently passed at least partial bans.
A very bad ad that could be expensive
But if such a ban would only very marginally reduce the number of TikTok users in the United States (some 130 million), it could on the other hand harm the reputation of the platform. And who says reputation at half mast, says advertisers who withdraw, and therefore advertising revenues in fall.
This explains the fears expressed by the application in a statement that has just been published. The company says to itself disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on government devices, a political move that will do nothing to advance national security interests “.
And financial risk is only the short-term threat, as Columbia Business School brand expert Matthew Quint explained when interviewed by Reuters. For him, ” rather, the question is, “Will this action trigger the creation of a bipartisan movement to ban the service altogether due to a potential national security threat?” »
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TikTok is THE social network adored by Generation Z. It allows everyone to film themselves to music chosen from the large catalog on offer and to enhance their creations with filters and special effects. The platform is accessible from a web browser or via its dedicated Android and iOS application.
TikTok is THE social network adored by Generation Z. It allows everyone to film themselves to music chosen from the large catalog on offer and to enhance their creations with filters and special effects. The platform is accessible from a web browser or via its dedicated Android and iOS application.
Source : Reuters
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