The US government has announced it is prepared to completely ban TikTok if the Chinese company **ByteDance** does not relinquish control of the app. A US official close to the talks in Madrid told reporters on Monday that “if no agreement is reached, the ban will be implemented.”
The handover process is on the table, but problems persist
According to the official, most of the technical details for separating TikTok’s US operations from ByteDance have been agreed upon. However, Chinese officials have linked the agreement to new demands from the US regarding customs tariffs and technology restrictions. This is causing the process to stall.
TikTok ban threat growing
TikTok has more than 150 million users in the US and is one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among young people. Washington has long been pressuring for the app, fearing it could leak user data to the Chinese government. Previously, the use of TikTok on federal employees’ devices was banned on grounds of national security.
Political and economic tensions
The US’s actions against TikTok are actually seen as part of a broader US-China technology war. Washington is limiting China’s access to artificial intelligence and semiconductor technologies; Beijing is playing different cards in response to these moves. Many analysts say that banning TikTok will profoundly affect both social media competition and economic relations between the two countries. Advertisers, in particular, believe that such a ban could fundamentally change their digital marketing strategies.
The outcome is uncertain, but the risk is great
Although officials emphasized that the process is still open to negotiations, the statement that “the ban option is not off the table” drew attention. If ByteDance does not agree to transfer TikTok’s US operations to an independent entity, the application could be blocked in the US very soon.
