TikTok Is Not Going Anywhere
The Biden Administration’s attempt to force a sale or shut down of TikTok will fail.
Sure, I do not like the fact that China-based TikTok collects user metadata, especially given that the U.S. Government has an adversarial relationship with the CCP. However, I also do not like the fact that social media companies in general collect user metadata and not only monetize it, but use the data to manipulate user behavior via algorithms that encourage behavior by affecting neural pathways. Keep your children off social media would be my advice.
The Biden Administration’s feckless legislation that is intended to force China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok is not going to happen. First, the legislation gives ByteDance 12 months to comply, and it is unlikely that there will be a Biden Administration in 12 months. Second, ByteDance has stated that it does not plan to sell TikTok.
Who is going to enforce a sale of TikTok? Biden? A Trump Administration? A TikTok sale is not going to happen. While China certainly does not wish to court a hot war with the United States (nor should the U.S. wish to fight a hot war with China), China has the upper hand in this case. China could take Taiwan tomorrow if it wishes to do so and with it TSMC. Boom. That sound was Xi Jinping doing a mic drop on Joe Biden’s forehead.