TikTok is Here to Stay! (For Now)
Before last week, it seemed improbable that TikTok would be banned in the United States. However, after months of ongoing debate and rumors, the Commerce Department issued an order that would have prohibited new downloads as of September 20, among other restrictions. But just days after the headline-grabbing development, it seems the app is safe once again – at least for now. President Trump’s “blessing” on TikTok’s still-pending deal with Oracle and now, Walmart, only delays the CDC’s ban for one week.
In case you missed it, we broke down Oracle’s role in the TikTok purchase last week – but what’s Walmart got to do with it? In the simplest terms, Oracle will host data for U.S., thus alleviating the administration’s security concerns. Walmart’s role isn’t exactly clear, but it seems most likely to be joiningas a monetary partner to financially back the endeavor.
Several factors of this deal still remain open-ended, though TikTok released a statement within the platform, arguably to alleviate user concerns:
“These are the facts: 100 million Americans come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, especially during the pandemic. We’ve hired nearly 1,000 people to our US team this year alone, and are proud to be hiring another 10,000 employees into great paying jobs across the US. Our $1 billion creator fund supports US creators who are building livelihoods from our platform. TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok’s biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users’ privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.”
TikTok additionally released the following video on it’s platform, which appeared on all US user’s For You pages.
@tiktok #WeAreTikTok and we are here to stay!
Many are curious about how an ownership change will affect overall experience and functionality. If there are legitimate security concerns, hopefully these changes are more helpful than harmful.
