From Dance Trends to Dilemmas: The Surprising Evolution of TikTok into a National Security Controversy

SAN FRANCISCO – If it seems like TikTok has been around forever, it’s likely because it has, at least when considering the timeline of the internet. The current query is whether it will continue to exist and, if so, in what format? Since its inception in 2017, following the merger of the Chinese video app with its rival Musical.ly, TikTok has transitioned from a niche application for adolescents to a worldwide influencer. Nevertheless, it has also been recognized as a potential threat to national security, according to U.S. authorities.

On April 24, President Joe Biden enacted legislation mandating TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest to a U.S. owner within one year or cease operations. TikTok and its parent firm, ByteDance, initiated a lawsuit against the U.S., asserting that the security fears were exaggerated and that the law violates the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the federal law prohibiting TikTok, resulting in the popular short-form video service being rendered inactive in the U.S., merely hours before the enforcement of the ban was scheduled to take place.

Here’s how TikTok reached this point:

March 2012 ByteDance is established in China by entrepreneur Zhang Yimin. Its initial successful product is Toutiao, a personalized news aggregator aimed at Chinese users. July 2014 The startup Musical.ly, later known for its app that allows short lipsyncing music videos, is founded in China by entrepreneur Alex Zhu. July 2015 Musical.ly achieves the #1 position in the Apple App Store after a design modification that made the company’s logo visible to users sharing their videos.

2016 ByteDance introduces Douyin, a video-sharing application for Chinese users. Its success inspires the firm to launch a version for international audiences named TikTok.

November 2017 ByteDance purchases Musical.ly for $1 billion. Nine months thereafter, ByteDance integrates it with TikTok.

Driven by an algorithm that promotes binge-watching, users start sharing diverse video content on the app, encompassing dance routines, culinary preparations, and various “challenges” inviting performances that range from serious to humorous.

February 2019 Rapper Lil Nas X releases the country-trap hit “Old Town Road” on TikTok, where it viralizes and propels the song to a record 17 weeks occupying the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This phenomenon sparks a wave of TikTok videos from musical artists who suddenly recognize TikTok as a vital platform to connect with their audience.

TikTok resolves federal allegations of infringing U.S. child-privacy regulations and consents to pay a $5.7 million penalty.

September 2019 The Washington Post reveals that while visuals of the Hong Kong democracy protests and police responses are prevalent across most social media networks, they are conspicuously absent on TikTok. The same piece mentions that TikTok posts tagged with #trump2020 amassed over 70 million views.

The company maintains that TikTok’s content moderation, conducted in the U.S., is not biased, asserting that the app serves as a platform for entertainment rather than political discourse.

The Guardian discloses internal documents reportedly outlining TikTok’s instructions to moderators to eliminate or restrict the visibility of videos about sensitive topics related to China, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent massacre, Tibetan independence, or the sanctioned religious collective Falun Gong.

October 2019 U.S. politicians begin raising concerns about TikTok’s impact, calling for a federal investigation into its acquisition of Musical.ly and a national security inquiry into TikTok and other applications owned by Chinese entities. That investigation commences in November, according to news outlets.

December 2019 The Pentagon advises all U.S. military members to delete TikTok from their personal and government-issued devices. Certain services prohibit the app on military-owned phones. In January, the Pentagon enforces a ban on the app across all military devices.

TikTok emerges as the second-most downloaded application globally, as per data from analytics firm SensorTower.

May 2020 Advocacy groups lodge a complaint alleging TikTok continues breaching U.S. child-protection regulations and disregarding a 2019 settlement agreement. The company asserts it “takes the matter of safety seriously” and is persistently enhancing its protective measures.

TikTok recruits former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its CEO in an evident attempt to bolster its relations in the U.S. Mayer resigns three months following his appointment.

July 2020 India prohibits TikTok and numerous other Chinese applications in reaction to a border confrontation with China.

President Donald Trump states he is contemplating banning TikTok as retaliation for China’s perceived mismanagement of the COVID-19 outbreak.

August 2020 Trump issues a broad yet ambiguous executive order prohibiting American companies from engaging in any “transactions” with ByteDance and its subsidiaries, including TikTok. A few days later, he issues a second directive mandating that ByteDance divest from TikTok’s U.S. operations within 90 days.

Microsoft confirms it is exploring options to acquire TikTok. However, the deal never comes to fruition, nor do similar propositions from Oracle and Walmart. Meanwhile, TikTok files a lawsuit against the Trump administration for alleged infringements of due process related to its executive orders.

November 2020 Joe Biden is elected as president. He does not propose any new policies regarding TikTok and will not assume office until January, but Trump’s intentions to compel a sale of TikTok begin to unravel regardless. The Trump administration prolongs the deadlines imposed on ByteDance and TikTok, eventually allowing them to lapse entirely.

February 2021 Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden suspends the legal proceedings relating to Trump’s efforts to ban TikTok, effectively bringing them to a standstill.

September 2021 TikTok announces it has surpassed one billion monthly active users.

December 2021 A Wall Street Journal article reveals TikTok’s algorithms can inundate teenagers with a flood of detrimental content, such as videos endorsing extreme dieting, a type of eating disorder.

February 2022 TikTok declares new guidelines to combat the dissemination of harmful content, such as viral misinformation and promotion of eating disorders.

April 2022 “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” a project created by two fans of the Netflix series as a TikTok initiative, earns the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.

TikTok becomes the most downloaded application globally, surpassing Instagram, reported by SensorTower data.

June 2022 BuzzFeed reveals that employees of ByteDance in China have repeatedly accessed the private data of TikTok users, based on leaked recordings from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings. TikTok responds with a vague statement emphasizing its commitment to security without directly addressing the BuzzFeed findings.

TikTok furthermore announces that it has transferred its user data to U.S. servers overseen by the U.S. technology firm Oracle. However, this does not allay continued concerns among U.S. authorities regarding the risks posed by Chinese government involvement.

accessing U.S. user information.

December 2022 FBI Director Christopher Wray voices national security apprehensions regarding TikTok, cautioning that Chinese authorities might exploit the app’s recommendation algorithm for manipulative endeavors.

ByteDance also announced the dismissal of four staff members who accessed details on reporters from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to trace the leaks of private documents relating to the organization.

February 2023 The White House instructs federal organizations to eliminate TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices within 30 days. Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission express concerns that ByteDance might share TikTok user information with China’s oppressive government.

March 2023 Legislators scrutinize TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during a six-hour congressional session, where Chew, originally from Singapore, strives to counter claims that TikTok and ByteDance serve as instruments of the Chinese government.

January 2024 TikTok disclosed that it was limiting a tool utilized by certain researchers to evaluate trending videos on the platform.

March 2024 Legislation aiming to prohibit TikTok or compel its acquisition by a U.S. firm gains momentum in Congress. TikTok arranges for numerous creators to visit Washington to urge lawmakers to reconsider, while highlighting the modifications made by the company to safeguard user information. TikTok also irritates legislators by alerting users to “speak up now” or face the possibility of TikTok being banned, leading to a surge of calls to congressional offices.

The House of Representatives passes the bill concerning the TikTok prohibition or sale.

April 2024 The Senate follows, sending the legislation to President Biden, who subsequently signs it.

May 2024 TikTok and its Chinese parent firm ByteDance file a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government to contest a law that would mandate the sale of ByteDance’s share or risk a ban, arguing that the legislation is unconstitutional.

June 2024 Former President Donald Trump joins TikTok and starts sharing campaign-related postings.

July 2024 Vice President Kamala Harris signs up for TikTok and also begins posting related campaign content.

Dec. 6, 2024 A federal appeals court panel unanimously upheld a statute that could facilitate a TikTok ban, delivering a significant setback to the widely-used social media platform as it battles for its existence in the U.S. The judges rejected the company’s challenge against the law, which it asserted violated the First Amendment.

Dec. 27, 2024 President-elect Donald Trump requested the Supreme Court to halt the impending TikTok ban from taking effect until his administration can seek a “political resolution” to the matter.

Jan. 17, 2025 The Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the federal statute banning TikTok unless it is divested by its China-based parent company, asserting that the threat to national security posed by its connection to China outweighs concerns regarding restricting speech via the app. A prohibition is scheduled to commence on Jan. 19, 2025.

Jan. 18, 2025 TikTok users within the United States found themselves unable to view content on the favored social media app mere hours before a federal ban was set to be implemented.

“A law prohibiting TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” a notification in the app stated. “Regrettably, this means you cannot utilize TikTok for the time being.”

The application was also taken down from major app stores, including those managed by Apple and Google, while its website informed users that the short-form video platform was no longer accessible.