4 ms·

Trump says he will ban TikTok in the US

29 points by fasicle 6y ago

peteretep 6y ago
Pretty skeptical he can get this done via executive order, although there seems to be a bipartisan anti-Chinese mood in Congress, so who knows?
- culturestate 6y ago
  > Pretty skeptical he can get this done via executive order The president can (effectively) order CFIUS (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) to review ownership on national security grounds, and if they determine that it constitutes a security risk CFIUS can order that it be divested. This happened with Grindr last year[1] and the sale was closed in March. 1. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-grindr-m-a-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-pushes-chinese-owner-of-grindr-to-divest-the-dating-app-sources-idUSKCN1R809L https://www.reuters.com/article/us-grindr-m-a-exclusive/excl...
  - einpoklum 6y ago
    Your example involves ownership of a US company ("West Hollywood, California-based Grindr" LLC). Availability of an app for download is something quite different.
    - culturestate 6y ago
      > Your example involves ownership of a US company ("West Hollywood, California-based Grindr" LLC) TikTok is also incorporated in the United States (TikTok Inc.) as a subsidiary of ByteDance. Their original acquisition of Musical.ly was reviewed by CFIUS last year, but I don't know the result (or if this is a continuation of the same review.)
      - einpoklum 6y ago
        Interesting! Did not know that. ... still, whatever happens with the US subsidiary should not, IIUC, affect whether or not the app can be downloaded.
firebaze 6y ago
Already discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24016938 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24016938
idclip 6y ago
Why tho From article: „US security officials have expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could be used to collect the personal data of Americans.„ /s Fun days ahead. s/
dirtyid 6y ago
Hypothetically, if TikTok goes instant/webapp how would this ban be implemented? Great Firewall of US?
einpoklum 6y ago
> US security officials have expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could be used to collect the personal data of Americans. Wow, sounds serious! I wonder if any other piece of software in the world has this problem. Perhaps Trump should ban all of those too. Better safe than sorry! :-(

29 points by fasicle 6y ago

Pretty skeptical he can get this done via executive order, although there seems to be a bipartisan anti-Chinese mood in Congress, so who knows?

culturestate 6y ago
> Pretty skeptical he can get this done via executive order The president can (effectively) order CFIUS (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) to review ownership on national security grounds, and if they determine that it constitutes a security risk CFIUS can order that it be divested. This happened with Grindr last year[1] and the sale was closed in March. 1. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-grindr-m-a-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-pushes-chinese-owner-of-grindr-to-divest-the-dating-app-sources-idUSKCN1R809L https://www.reuters.com/article/us-grindr-m-a-exclusive/excl...
- einpoklum 6y ago
  Your example involves ownership of a US company ("West Hollywood, California-based Grindr" LLC). Availability of an app for download is something quite different.
  - culturestate 6y ago
    > Your example involves ownership of a US company ("West Hollywood, California-based Grindr" LLC) TikTok is also incorporated in the United States (TikTok Inc.) as a subsidiary of ByteDance. Their original acquisition of Musical.ly was reviewed by CFIUS last year, but I don't know the result (or if this is a continuation of the same review.)
    - einpoklum 6y ago
      Interesting! Did not know that. ... still, whatever happens with the US subsidiary should not, IIUC, affect whether or not the app can be downloaded.

firebaze 6y ago

Already discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24016938 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24016938

idclip 6y ago

Why tho From article: „US security officials have expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could be used to collect the personal data of Americans.„ /s Fun days ahead. s/

dirtyid 6y ago

Hypothetically, if TikTok goes instant/webapp how would this ban be implemented? Great Firewall of US?

einpoklum 6y ago

> US security officials have expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could be used to collect the personal data of Americans. Wow, sounds serious! I wonder if any other piece of software in the world has this problem. Perhaps Trump should ban all of those too. Better safe than sorry! :-(