TikTok’s debut in 2016 permanently altered the social media landscape, offering a blend of short-form content specially curated using the interests of the audiences. With over 1 billion users worldwide, TikTok became a central platform for entertainment, education, and even activism due to its unique algorithm that other social media platforms, such as Instagram Reels and Rednote, have not been able to successfully emulate. Despite its unprecedented growth, many countries have expressed concern over the app’s data security with some going as far as to impose laws that require the company to sell or be banned, most recently in America last April.

The platform, created by Chinese technology company ByteDance, initially launched in 2016 as ‘Douyin’ in China before debuting internationally as ‘TikTok’ in a merge with Musical.ly the following year. Throughout its growth in recent years, TikTok remained unavailable in China while Douyin persisted under state-controlled censorship, suppressing protests and other anti-government discourse. By 2019, TikTok became the most visited website worldwide– surpassing Google. However, in 2020, the U.S. government under President Trump threatened a ban over alleged data privacy issues and proposed a U.S. acquisition as a possible solution. In response to this, TikTok decided to file multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration and with the judge rulings ultimately rejecting his ban due to “lack of sufficient evidence of an imminent security threat.” In recent years TikTok has continued expanding, despite controversies such as the Biden administration’s full ban law passed in April 2024 calling for a nationwide suspension of the platform in January 2025.
At the Supreme Court ruling this month, petitioners referred to the ban as “a direct violation of their First Amendment.” Additionally, the judge publicly exposed the U.S. government’s illegal attempt to submit secret information into judicial proceedings expressing that “the evidence used to prove the government’s case must be disclosed to the individual so that he has an opportunity to show that it is untrue.” In relation to the ban, the court expressed that although “the remedy Congress and the President chose here is dramatic,” the problem is real and “the response [is] not unconstitutional.” Ultimately, the judge conveyed that they cannot confidently issue an opinion with the short amount of time they were given concluding their ruling inconclusive.
Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in the United States, the President is able to address threats to National Security despite judicial rulings pending by signing an executive order. In light of this knowledge, President Trump threatened to impose new trade tariffs warning that ByteDance’s noncompliance to sell a stake of the platform would be viewed as a “hostile act” against the United States. TikTok briefly went offline in the U.S. and promptly resumed service only after Trump’s conditions were adhered to. ByteDance has not relinquished control of the app, despite interest from prominent businessmen in the United States – including Meta CEO, Elon Musk.
The executive order signed by President Trump essentially granted TikTok a 75-day extension, suspending the enforcement of an immediate ban or forced sale. This allows ByteDance time to arrange a joint venture deal with American companies like Oracle and Walmart. However, since TikTok’s reinstatement, American users have noticed a dramatic shift, including heightened censorship and suppression of certain political content. Additionally, TikTok’s Live feature has been disabled for U.S. users due to the complexity tied to censoring real-time broadcasts. Content critical of capitalism or references like “Free Luigi” (a covert nod to Luigi Mangione, suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO) are flagged, forcing users to use steganography—the practice of hiding information in another message—while commenting to avoid the algorithm’s detection. As anti-republican protests swept the nation prior to Trump’s inauguration– many Americans reported that they were left unaware and unable to access any of that content on the platform–raising constitutional concerns about censorship, digital freedoms, and the erosion of democratic values in the U.S.
Many users have shared that the app’s unique algorithm, once a tool for viral engagement, is now actively pushing pro-Trump content to democratic audiences, while anti-republican posts are no longer hyperlinked when shared via messenger apps. China’s long-standing approach to Douyin and President Trump’s recent actions toward TikTok reveal notable parallels in their use of political censorship to assert control over digital platforms. What was once an innovative platform for millions may now serve as a cautionary tale about the power of content control in the digital age.