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Deal
The Trump administration will ban the video-sharing app TikTok from US app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will prevent Americans from downloading or updating the Chinese-owned platform out of fear that it poses a threat to national security. .
TikTok US Headquarters Shown in Culver City, California, USA, Sep 15, 2020. REUTERS / Mike Blake
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration to ban the video-sharing app TikTok from US app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will prevent Americans from downloading or updating the Chinese-owned platform out of fear that it poses a threat to the National security.
Below are questions and answers about what this means for users, the political implications, and how it will affect the companies involved.
WILL CURRENT TIKTOK USERS SEE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT?
Initially, not much. They won’t be able to download updates, and new features and fixes may be lost. But on November 12, the application could become slower or more difficult to use because US companies will not be able to provide back-end hosting services that help the application run smoothly. TikTok said in a statement Friday that those changes would amount to a “ban.”
HOW WILL NEW TIKTOK USERS BE AFFECTED?
Starting on Sunday, the app will no longer be available for download on app stores in the United States, greatly reducing the number of new American users. Some may come up with alternative solutions, such as traveling to a foreign country to download the app or using a virtual private network, a US official said. Apple iPhone users, for example, could reset the country setting on their phone to another country like Canada to download TikTok, although they would have to leave their phone set to the Canadian app store to keep the TikTok app up to date. Users can also sign up and watch videos through the TikTok website, but they won’t be able to post videos without the mobile app.
WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TIKTOK’S BAN?
TikTok won’t see any major changes until after the election, so the topic’s influence on the presidential race is unlikely to grow significantly. Some might still view President Donald Trump as defending US interests by threatening to ban a Chinese app, and some may see this as avoiding a decision or fixing a deal for a political ally, in Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison. .
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ORACLE’S PARTNER AGREEMENT WITH TIKTOK?
The ban will increase pressure on TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, and potential suitors, including Oracle Corp and Walmart, to strike a deal that is acceptable to President Trump as soon as possible. If an agreement is reached before Sunday, there is a chance that new downloads will not be blocked and that TikTok can continue its business.
(Reporting by Chris Sanders; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
