History of TikTok
ByteDance Limited is a Chinese Internet technology company headquartered in Haidian, Beijing and incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
Founded in 2012 by a team of Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo and others, ByteDance developed the video-sharing apps TikTok and Douyin. The company is also the developer of the news platform Toutiao.
ByteDance has attracted regulatory and media attention in several countries over security, surveillance, and censorship concerns.
Founding of ByteDance
In 2009, software engineer and entrepreneur Zhang Yiming teamed up with his friend Liang Rubo to found a real estate search engine called 99fang.com. In early 2012, the couple rented an apartment in Zhongguancun and, along with several other 99fang employees, began developing an app that would use big data algorithms to categorize news according to users’ preferences, which later became Toutiao. That March, Yiming and Liang founded ByteDance. Zhang Yiming was the chairman and CEO of ByteDance from its founding in 2012 until 2021, when co-founder Liang Rubo took over as CEO.
On 19 May 2020, ByteDance and Disney released an announcement that Kevin Mayer, the head of Disney’s streaming business, would join ByteDance. From June 2020 until his resignation on 26 August 2020, Mayer served as CEO of TikTok and COO of ByteDance, reporting directly to the company’s CEO Zhang Yiming. In 2021, former Xiaomi CFO Shu Zi Chew took over as CEO of TikTok.
TikTok Ban in the US:
The potential ban of TikTok in the US has sparked widespread debate, highlighting the intersection of technology, privacy, and national security. TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has become a global sensation, with over a billion users worldwide. However, its meteoric rise has also been accompanied by increasing scrutiny, particularly from US policymakers who have raised concerns about data privacy and the app’s ties to the Chinese government. Trump has said in the last few hours that he would “probably” give TikTok a 90-day extension. “The 90-day extension is something that will probably be done, because it’s fair. You know, it’s fair. We’ll have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said.
One of the primary concerns is that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government under its national security laws. Critics argue that this poses a major threat to the privacy and national security of US citizens. In response, TikTok has repeatedly provided assurances that it stores US data domestically and has implemented stringent security measures.
Despite these assurances, the Biden administration has followed in its predecessor’s footsteps and explored measures to curb TikTok’s influence. Some states and federal agencies have already banned the app on government devices, citing security concerns. Meanwhile, supporters of the app emphasise its role as a platform for creativity, small businesses and cultural exchange, warning that a ban could stifle free expression and innovation.
As the debate continues, the TikTok saga underscores the challenges of striking a balance between innovation and safety in an increasingly interconnected world. Whether through a ban, regulation or negotiation, the outcome is likely to shape the future of social media and tech governance for years to come. the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is set to have wide-reaching implications for US-China relations, US domestic politics, the social media marketplace and.
Apple’s Mark Gurman tweeted:
Apple has posted a support document on the TikTok ban. Never seen a document like this before for app removal. But this is still pretty unprecedented. This is all for a 48-hour ban.
In this case, TikTok’s phoenix will rise from the ashes on Monday, January 20, and its absence from people’s phones, at least for now, will be a blow. The Apple support document lists apps other than TikTok that are affected, such as Marvel Snap, Lemon8 and CapCut. “If these apps are already installed on your device, they will remain on your device. But they cannot be re-downloaded if you delete or restore them when you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible,” Apple says. It also states that if you are visiting the US, you will be “unable to download, update, or make in-app purchases and new subscriptions inside ByteDance Ltd. apps while within the land or maritime boundaries of the United States.”