The recent ban on TikTok in the United States stems from national security concerns regarding its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. U.S. lawmakers fear that ByteDance could be compelled to share American user data with the Chinese government, posing potential security risks.
In April 2024, US Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), requiring ByteDance to divest its U.S. TikTok operations. ByteDance’s refusal to comply led to legal challenges, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the ban in January 2025.
Additionally, concerns were raised about the spread of content on TikTok during the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict, with some lawmakers suggesting the platform was promoting certain narratives. However, TikTok denied these allegations, attributing content trends to user behaviour rather than algorithmic manipulation.
In response to the ban, TikTok ceased its U.S. operations on January 18, 2025, affecting approximately 170 million users. Despite attempts by users to bypass the ban using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), TikTok implemented measures to prevent access from U.S.-based accounts.
The ban has significant implications for TikTok’s business partners and advertisers, who now face uncertainty regarding their investments. The situation also adds complexity to U.S.-China trade relations, with potential buyers expressing interest in TikTok’s U.S. operations, though ByteDance remains opposed to a sale.
Security.org has a full article on whether TikTok is safe to use or not. Here is a list of 6 things you can do, to make it a little safer for yourself from the article.
“How to Stay Safe On TikTok
Here are some tips for how to stay safer on TikTok. Some of these steps also apply to other social media sites, and websites in general.
- Avoid oversharing: Your social network doesn’t have to know every detail of your life. Never share sensitive personal information, such as your birthday, personal email address, or home address.
- Set account restrictions: Use TikTok’s privacy settings to limit who can view, comment, and share your content.
- Set your account to private: If you do, then only people who follow you can see what you post on TikTok. You can also deny follow requests from people you don’t know.
- Enable two-step verification: It will prevent others from logging in to your TikTok account, even if they have your login credentials. Two-step verification means you’ll need to approve login requests using your registered phone number or email.
- Don’t reuse passwords: Keep your passwords unique, and don’t use the same passwords for different accounts. That way, your password security on your other online accounts will remain intact if your account becomes compromised.
- Practice good digital security hygiene: Use a virtual private network to hide your IP address and prevent tracking by advertisers. “
In short, like all things social media, be careful of what you click on, or follow.