Global National Security Case Precedents: Sell-or-ban law on TikTok, 'US-style bullying' by using national security as excuse
Over the past week, the fate of the short video application TikTok in the United States has undergone dramatic twists and turns, sparking a global wave of discussions. From being forced to shut down to resuming services in less than a day, the "sell-or-ban" turmoil has been fueled by over four years of American bullying. Since its launch in August 2017, TikTok has rapidly risen to become a phenomenon that competes with Instagram and YouTube in less than two years. Despite TikTok operating legally in the United States, it was coerced into a sale to an American company, reminiscent of a hostile takeover. It is clear to the world that the accusations of TikTok "endangering national security" are baseless, and the so-called American values of respecting democracy, freedom, and fair competition are ironically laughable.
In September 2016, ByteDance drew inspiration from the product musical.ly and launched the short video app Douyin, which became widely known in China.
In 2017, ByteDance acquired musical.ly for US$1 billion and merged it with TikTok, propelling it onto the international stage.
By 2020, TikTok's global downloads exceeded 8.5 billion, surpassing WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.
On August 6, 2020, Trump signed an executive order claiming TikTok posed a threat to U.S. national security, announcing a ban on any transactions between U.S. individuals or entities with TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance after 45 days. The Trump administration accused TikTok of "disclosing large amounts of user information," suggesting that the Chinese government could access user data, browsing histories, and search records through TikTok, posing a threat to U.S. national security.
On August 14, 2020, Trump signed an executive order requiring ByteDance to divest all ownership interests in TikTok's U.S. operations within 90 days.
On August 24, 2020, TikTok filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging that the executive orders issued on August 6 regarding the company and its parent company ByteDance were unlawful.
On November 10, 2020, ByteDance filed a lawsuit requesting the court to block Trump's August 14 executive order to divest TikTok.
On February 10, 2021, the Biden administration announced the suspension of plans to force ByteDance to sell TikTok for review.
In July 2021, TikTok's global downloads exceeded 3 billion, making it the fifth non-gaming app to surpass 3 billion downloads globally.
On September 27, 2021, TikTok announced that its monthly active users had surpassed 1 billion.
In February 2023, the Biden administration banned TikTok from federal devices in an attempt to strengthen oversight of TikTok.
On March 23, 2023, TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, attended a hearing in the U.S. Congress and responded positively to security concerns.
On March 7, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill with a 165-day deadline, threatening to ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not separate from ByteDance.
On April 24, 2024, Biden signed a bill requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company by January 19, 2025, or face a ban in the U.S. This bill was also known as the "sell-or-ban" law.
On December 22, 2024, Trump expressed support for TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. for a period.
On December 27, 2024, Trump filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend the enforcement of the "sell-or-ban" law regarding TikTok. Trump stated that he hoped the court would give him time to address the dispute through political means after his formal inauguration.
On January 15, 2025, sources said that Trump was considering issuing an executive order after taking office to temporarily suspend the "sell-or-ban" law for 60 to 90 days.
On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the "sell-or-ban" law regarding TikTok, meaning the law would take effect as planned on January 19. The Biden administration stated that due to time constraints, the responsibility for implementing this law would fall to the next administration. TikTok announced that unless the Biden administration provided a clear statement of non-liability to U.S. internet service providers, the platform would be forced to shut down on January 19.
On January 18, 2025, at around 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time (11:30 a.m. Beijing Time on January 19), TikTok ceased services to U.S. users. Several other applications under ByteDance also stopped their services in the U.S. at nearly the same time. U.S. companies such as Apple, Google, and Oracle, which supported the normal operation of TikTok in the U.S., also stopped their services.
On January 19, 2025, at 8 p.m. Beijing Time, Trump posted a message on his social media account saying, "Save TikTok!"
Around 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time on January 19 (1:30 a.m. Beijing Time on January 20), TikTok released a statement on social media saying that the company had reached an agreement with internet service providers to restore services. TikTok also stated that they would work with Trump to find a long-term solution to keep the TikTok app available in the U.S.
On January 20, 2025, Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States and signed an executive order requesting that the "sell-or-ban" law regarding the short video social media platform TikTok be temporarily suspended for the next 75 days. TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chow, appeared at Trump's inauguration ceremony. The future fate of TikTok remains uncertain.
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