EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The TikTok app is extremely popular:

In 2019, the TikTok app was made available in 39 different languages, and emerged as the second most popular app in the world, eclipsing Facebook Messenger, Gmail and Netflix apps in number of downloads. It’s attracted over 1 billion users, worldwide, and 65-80 million users in the United States.

The app provides a fun and trendy platform for singers, aspiring actors and other creative individuals. It also provides those in remote locations with a means of connecting to a wider community of people, among offering other advantages.

Could the TikTok app be banned?

Last fall, US lawmakers called for an investigation into TikTok, and its parent company, ByteDance, in order to determine whether or not American user data was being collected by the Chinese government. Was cyber espionage taking place?

Recently, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Trump administration is “certainly looking” at a ban on Chinese social media apps, including the TikTok app, due to potential national security threats. US politicians allege that the app makers could be forced to “support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”

A political decision of this nature would mirror India’s recent decision to ban 60 Chinese apps, from TikTok to Alibaba.

What does TikTok have to say?

A TikTok spokesperson stated that TikTok is in fact “led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product and public policy here in the US.”

In addition, data belonging to American TikTok users is stored in the United States, with backup data located in Singapore. The company called the national security concerns “unfounded.”

For more on the TikTok app story, visit CNN.