A potential TikTok ban in the UK could be on the horizon, following a similar trajectory to the US ban that was implemented after President Trump’s administration deemed the app a national security risk due to its ties to the Chinese government. Analysts predict that if the US decides to keep TikTok offline, allied countries including the UK will follow suit.
The US ban on TikTok is not unprecedented, as other tech companies such as Huawei and Kaspersky have faced similar restrictions in the past. In both cases, the accusations were made without concrete evidence, but the US government maintained that the companies posed a threat to national security.
If the US ban goes ahead, experts point to the previous ousting of Chinese and Russian tech companies on national security grounds as a potential blueprint for how TikTok might spread globally. The UK has already banned TikTok from government devices, while some other countries have issued public warnings about the app’s security risks.
However, President Trump’s stance on TikTok is uncertain, having previously tried to get it banned but now becoming a supporter after his re-election campaign gained support through TikTok videos. This unknown factor might make TikTok different from Huawei and Kaspersky, which both managed to weather their storms by relying on home-grown customer bases.
The app’s future post-US ban remains uncertain, particularly with regards to its ability to continue thriving without a significant US user base. A loss of 170m users would be devastating for the platform, and the West’s decision to follow suit could reduce revenue and limit development of new features, further entrenching the dominance of US platforms like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqx98115rqvo