President Trump Confirmed He's "Looking At" Banning TikTok

Carolyn Twersky
·3 min read

From Seventeen

[UPDATED 7/10/20 12:41 pm]: President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US is considering banning TikTok after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo originally issued the news earlier this week.

"It’s something we’re looking at, yes," Trump told commentator Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday.

According to Bloomberg, Trump said that banning the app is "one of many" ways he is considering to "hit back" at China for the coronavirus. "Look, what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful," he said.

TikTok users are not too happy about this. In response to Trump's announcement, some teens have taken to the president's Official Trump 2020 app, leaving over 2,000 negative reviews on the app since his interview on Wednesday, according to Sensor Tower.

Many think that Trump's hatred toward TikTok doesn't actually have to do with a security threat. Instead they feel it was brought on last month when the app's users teamed up with K-Pop fans and bought up tickets to Trump's campaign event, leaving it almost empty.

TikTok faced a glitch on Thursday and the app no longer showed view and like counts on videos. Many users freaked out, fearing it was the end of the app, but TikTok later confirmed they had fixed the problem. As a now, there is no further news about the ban and if or when it will be put into place.

Original post: If you're like me, TikTok has been your lifeline during quarantine. The videos on the app are so entertaining and the drama could literally keep you occupied for hours. That's why it's so shocking to hear that the US government is "looking at" banning the app.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Monday that they are considering restricting access to the app, following suit of India, which has already done so.

"We are taking this very seriously and we are certainly looking at it," Pompeo said.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based startup. Because of its ties to China, many politicians feel the app is a threat to national security, alleging that the company "supports and cooperates with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party," according to CNN.

"With respect to Chinese apps on people's cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too," Pompeo said. "But, it is something we are looking at." He also reportedly urged Americans to be careful with using TikTok, claiming that their private information could end up "in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party."

According to CNN, TikTok has stated previously that they operate apart from ByteDance and that their data isn't "subject to Chinese law." Back in May, the app told CNN that any security concerns were "unfounded."

Again, TikTok is denying the claims that it has any ties to the Chinese government. "TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S.," the company said in a statement to CNBC. "We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked."

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