Many people all over the U.S. are asking, is a ban on TikTok really on the table? This question began to be articulated two years ago when the Trump administration began to threaten to take away TikTok, and now the Biden administration is doing the same.

But, why would TikTok be banned? CNN business says,“Washington has expressed concerns that the app could be infiltrated by the Chinese government to essentially spy on American users or gain access to US user data.” This has been a growing fear of the U.S. government for many years and now they are taking action. Another possible threat is the Chinese government may be spreading propaganda to the U.S. audience and the government is trying to stop this from happening. TikTok responded to this with, “These plans have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies — plans that we are well underway in implementing — to further secure our platform in the United States, and we will continue to brief lawmakers on them.” 

Many regions are taking precautions by banning TikTok. The House has banned it on office holder work mobile phones. Many state universities have banned the use of TikTok on campus Wifi. Texas, Alabama, and Georgia governors have banned the use of TikTok on all state phones. 

Joel Thayer, the president of the Digital Progress Institute, was asked, “How far are they willing to go, outside of banning it from government devices?” the questioner asked. In which Joel Thayer responded, “President Biden is more inclined to want to keep TikTok in the market.” This means the probability of TikTok being banned completely in the U.S. is unlikely. We know the president in October, spent time with eight different influencers, The Washington Post reported. 

Many Americans are still afraid this ban may happen, 21% of the U.S. uses TikTok and would be impacted if the ban did occur. The U.S. government is taking as many precautions as possible in order to keep the citizens of the United States safe when using TikTok.