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- Here's what would actually happen
if TikTok got banned.
- It's terrifying.
- #SaveTikTok.
- [Reporter] TikTokers have been taking
to TikTok to express their fears
over a potential US ban.
Similar to India
where the app was blocked in late June
for cybersecurity concerns,
they are worried they'll no longer
have access to the fun music and video-driven app.
The Trump administration has indicated
that it's considering similar action
or at least, limiting Americans' access
to the popular app.
- With respect to Chinese apps on people's cell phones,
I can assure you, the United States
will get this one right too.
- [Reporter] So here's why the US is concerned
about TikTok on American phones.
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TikTok is China's first global social media sensation.
In just a few years,
it has quickly vaulted into the top app download ranks,
neck and neck with other popular apps.
But with this kind of popularity
has come increased scrutiny from Washington.
- TikTok collect everything from the device you're using
to access the app, your IP address,
the messages exchanged with other users
on the TikTok app itself.
And to be very honest, that is not very different
from what Facebook, YouTube,
Twitter and other social apps are collecting.
The difference with TikTok is its ownership.
- [Reporter] Its parent company is ByteDance,
which is based in Beijing.
TikTok doesn't have a headquarters,
although its CEO sits in Los Angeles.
China's legal system allows it
to request user data from companies.
- What worries foreign governments
is the fact that the firewall between user data
and the Chinese government is completely removed
because of these laws
and that means American private data
might end up in the hands of the Chinese government.
- [Reporter] What Beijing could do next with this trove
of American data is also a concern.
- US officials are concerned
that the Chinese government
could be building a vast database
of information based off whatever they've gotten
from TikTok users, and that pool of information
might be potentially used for more nefarious means,
such as espionage.
- [Reporter] TikTok has said
that the Chinese government
has never asked the company for user data
and would refuse such a request.
The company also said its data
on American users is held in servers outside of China,
in the US and Singapore.
There are also concerns about freedom of expression.
Among the fun, quirky videos uploaded to TikTok every day,
some users say that some videos have been censored.
The Journal found that in the last two years,
employees at TikTok followed rules
that included striking out content
that was in line with censorship norms in China.
For example, showing tattoos or excessive cleavage
and politically sensitive topics,
including the Hong Kong protests
or Tiananmen Square.
Recently, the app has been censoring other types
of content too.
- [Liza] We found one US user
who said she was banned from her account
because she had kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.
And this happened during a live stream on TikTok.
And TikTok basically told her after
that her account was banned for serious pornography.
- [Reporter] TikTok said that moderation decisions
are in an effort to keep the tone
on the app light hearted and not in the name of censorship.
TikTok isn't facing only scrutiny from the US.
- TikTok is facing a possible ban in Australia.
- The Dutch Data Protection Agency
is launching an investigation into TikTok.
- [Reporter] While pressure grows,
TikTok is taking measures to distance itself
from its Chinese roots.
- There's now an American CEO at the head of TikTok.
His name is Kevin Mayer
and he comes from Disney.
And ByteDance is also considering other changes
to its corporate structure.
People familiar with the discussions tell us
that ByteDance is thinking
of establishing a headquarters for TikTok outside of China.
- [Reporter] As the US and clash
over coronavirus, citizens' rights in Hong Kong,
and Shenzhen, the South China Sea and trade,
tech has become a major sticking point
and after Huawei and ZTE,
TikTok has become the latest giant
to be threatened by the US government.
And the ones who have watched particularly closely
how TikTok handles the politics
of the global marketplace
will be its fellow Chinese tech companies.
- What's really interesting here
is that by ByteDance
is arguably the most successful Chinese internet export
and should the app be banned,
it doesn't bode well for other Chinese companies
who are seeking to go global.
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