With TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew set to seem earlier than US congress this week, in what many contemplate to be a pivotal look that might resolve the destiny of the app within the area, TikTok has at this time shared a brand new consumer milestone within the US, whereas additionally calling on US customers to contact their elected representatives to voice their assist for the platform.
Right this moment, TikTok has introduced that it now has over 150 million US customers.
As per TikTok:
“We’re honored to be a house for our immensely various group in the US, made up of almost half the nation’s inhabitants, together with e book lovers, foodies, households, rising artists and a lot extra. This milestone wouldn’t have been potential with out the exhausting work and unwavering dedication of virtually 7,000 TikTok staff within the US, in addition to our unimaginable group within the nation and all over the world.”
Learn as: ‘TikTok is basically necessary, not simply to customers, however to the US economic system too, and banning it could be a really dangerous factor’.
Chew himself has additionally posted a video concerning the milestone, whereas additionally calling on US customers for his or her assist.
@tiktok Our CEO, Shou Chew, shares a particular message on behalf of all the TikTok workforce to thank our group of 150 million People forward of his congressional listening to later this week.
The brand new push additional underlines simply how important the US ban menace is, with authorities officers reportedly already placing stress on TikTok to separate from its Chinese language guardian firm, as a way to get rid of issues associated to potential knowledge sharing.
With US/China tensions rising, particularly as China continues to publicly assist Russia, amid its ongoing struggle with Ukraine, US officers have continued to sound the alarm concerning the dangers related to TikTok, which, theoretically, may share US consumer knowledge with the CCP, which may then put US residents in danger.
On this context, the newest strikes to ban TikTok from authorities workers gadgets make some sense – however the huge query, which might be answered this week, is whether or not common customers are additionally underneath menace from the identical course of.
And once more, that menace has now change into very current for TikTok:
“Sure politicians have raised issues concerning the potential banning of our platform, which might immediately have an effect on all 150 million People who’ve embraced TikTok. To proactively handle US nationwide safety issues, we have taken unprecedented steps by enhancing safeguards for our US customers. Over the past two years, we have invested $1.5 billion in establishing TikTok US Knowledge Safety and have been constructing a complete framework to isolate protected US consumer knowledge. Right this moment, we’re additionally proud to launch the U.S. Knowledge Safety (USDS) website aimed toward offering transparency into our commitments and answering frequent questions round our efforts to safeguard knowledge.”
TikTok not too long ago mentioned that the platform is unprofitable at current as a result of quantity that it’s outlaid to handle these issues, and it’s clear that TikTok will do something that it may possibly to keep away from a ban, whereas additionally remaining underneath Chinese language possession.
On which, it could don’t have any alternative – the CCP, which must approve any spin-off of the app, is reportedly not completely happy with the US seeking to bully TikTok out of Chinese language possession. As such, at this stage, it appears unlikely that Chinese language officers would permit the separation of the platform from guardian firm ByteDance.
Which leaves TikTok within the center. If the US does look to place extra stress on TikTok after this week’s look by Chew, then it might be compelled out of the market, with no different choices to take care of reference to its 150 million-strong American viewers.
That may be a large blow for the app – which already misplaced round 200 million customers when India banned it again in 2020.
As such, TikTok is now pulling out all of the stops, in an effort to save lots of the platform – as a result of whereas a sell-off, prior to now, has seemingly been the worst-case state of affairs, that won’t even be an choice this time round.
I’ve maintained {that a} full ban of the app appears unlikely, purely as a result of sum of money at stake, which might be motivation sufficient for TikTok to seek out an alternate answer.
However possibly, there really gained’t be an alternative choice this time.
