Amid all the changes at X, Meta, etc, what in tarnation is happening with TikTok and the proposed ban of the app?

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is still deliberating over the app's fate in the U.S., as it weighs concerns over its Chinese ownership and potential links to the CCP. But it's been doing so for years now, as it takes in various considerations and concerns and examines the possibility of the country's U.S. user data being misused by foreign groups.

At one stage, a ban appeared almost inevitable, but the controversy seems to have quietened down over recent months, although the app remains the focal point of several other rows.

This week, Senegalese officials blocked TikTok in the country, citing fears that the app is assisting political dissent and potentially destabilizing the country.

Senegalese authorities claim that TikTok is the social network favored by 'people with bad intentions' who are spreading 'hateful and subversive messages' via video clips. The ban isn't associated with broader concerns about Chinese interference, as such, but it's another concern for the platform, in that it associates its use with negative social behavior.

In Australia, however, the links to China are in focus, as Australian senators have handed down a new report into the use of social media as a means of foreign interference, and the two figure in an list of significant security risks.

To this effect, senators have introduced a new law that would make foreign-owned apps wanting to operate in the region domicile a 'local outpost, so that the needful requirements of that nation can be legally enforced. The proposal also mentions extending the bans on TikTok for government devices to contractors or general contractors who are working on government contracts.

The new legislation would more clearly separate data concerns, inasmuch as it will ensure that there is a local management entity for each app, although companies may also face a more complex set of regional tax obligations, which they will, no doubt, resist in efforts to cut costs.

But it could be something of a solution to concerns around TikTok, and other foreign-owned apps. TikTok has proposed a similar, yet more extreme (and costly) approach in the U.S., which would see U.S. user data stored and managed in the nation, aligning with regulatory concerns.

In a statement, TikTok said it doesn't agree with everything that's in the new Australian proposal; on the bright side, however, it's happy Australian authorities are not calling for a blanket ban of the app.

Which, in itself is an interesting summary of where TikTok sits as more regulators look at their stance on the app and the risks it may pose to weigh up its future presence.
European Parliament is also urging all national governments to ban the use of TikTok by the government's staff (TikTok has already banned from all the EU staff devices) as concerns still hover above its potential dangers, and how it might be used as a regional surveillance device.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is looking at another option for dealing with national security issues linked to foreign-owned applications-a new bill reportedly being drafted by Senator Maria Cantwell 'would strike a better balance between giving the White House more tools while creating new oversight mechanisms'. That might also be relevant to TikTok's future in the United States, if such a change does come about before CFIUS delivers its ruling.

Which seems increasingly likely, given the amount of time it’s taken to assess a potential TikTok ban thus far. But really, it feels like we’re another incident away. It feels like U.S. lawmakers are hesitant to react, and spark more angst with China, but if one more Chinese spy balloon gets shot down in U.S. airspace, it’ll be forced to take more definitive action.

Maybe that’s what we’re waiting for, for a true incident of impetus to force their hand.

But as of right now, TikTok remains available in the U.S., and the debate around the app seems to have been sidelined, despite the app continuing to prompt concern in other regions.