United States Seriously Considers Banning TikTok, Leading To A Slew Of Memes And Outcry Among Some

As you might've heard, there is currently a bill under consideration in the U.S. Congress that may be the final nail in TikTok's coffin.

“If they pass it, I’ll sign it," President Joe Biden said last week about the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would give TikTok six months to either sever ties with Bytedance, its Chinese parent company, or say goodbye to the American market.

Over the past few years, the massively popular video-forward social media platform has become central not just to meme culture but to all culture — but many are concerned about the Chinese government's level of involvement in companies like Bytedance, which are often independent in name only.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle fear the Chinese government using data from TikTok to learn about Americans or manipulating the app to alter public opinion and spread misinformation.

The bill, which is not yet a ban despite much confusion and uproar, seeks to address these concerns.

Some civil liberties groups have protested that banning TikTok would muffle free speech online by cutting off an important platform and venue.

TikTok itself even urged users to contact their congresspeople and advocate against the bill this week in an in-app notification.

Online, memes commemorated the platform, with some joking about what kinds of posts might or might not get TikTok saved.

On TikTok itself, many posters expressed alarm and outrage as the news continued to spread.

Some, like Congressman Jamal Bowman, argued that the proposed TikTok bill was a way of targeting and controlling the free speech of young people. Others argued that the bill was not yet a ban, and the motivations were more foreign policy-related.

While Biden and others have signaled support, former President Donald J. Trump has argued to preserve TikTok, saying that Facebook is the real "enemy of the people" and if TikTok gets shut down, Facebook / Meta, which runs the similar Reels content on Instagram, will only get larger.

During his presidency, Trump had vocally endorsed a TikTok ban before the idea fizzled out. His former staffer, Kellyanne Conway is now notably lobbying members of Congress on behalf of TikTok.