From Fun to Fear: The Transformation of TikTok into a National Security Concern

If it seems as though TikTok has existed for an eternity, that’s likely due to the perception of time on the internet. The pressing question now is whether it will continue to exist much longer and, if it does, in what capacity?

Since its inception in 2017, following the merger of the Chinese social video application with its rival Musical.ly, TikTok has transformed from a niche application for youths into a worldwide trendsetter. However, it has also emerged as a potential threat to national security, as claimed by U.S. officials.

On April 24, President Joe Biden ratified legislation mandating that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, sell to an American owner within a year or cease operations. TikTok and its parent, based in China, filed a lawsuit against the U.S., asserting that the security issues were exaggerated and that the law should be dismissed as it infringes upon the First Amendment.

On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously to uphold the federal law prohibiting TikTok, leading to the popular short-form video platform going offline in the U.S. mere hours before the ban was to take effect.

The following outlines the evolution of TikTok to this moment:

March 2012

ByteDance is established in China by entrepreneur Zhang Yimin, with Toutiao becoming its inaugural hit product, a personalized news aggregation service for Chinese users.

July 2014

Musical.ly, a startup later recognized for the eponymous app utilized for sharing short lipsyncing music videos, is launched in China by entrepreneur Alex Zhu.

July 2015

Musical.ly achieves the top position in the Apple App Store after a redesign that prominently displayed the company logo whenever users shared their videos.

2016

ByteDance unveils Douyin, a video sharing application catering to Chinese users. Its success leads the company to develop an international version named TikTok.

November 2017

ByteDance acquires Musical.ly for $1 billion. Nine months later, the app is merged with TikTok.

Fueled by an algorithm that promotes binge-watching, users begin sharing an extensive range of videos on the app, including dance routines, food preparation, and various “challenges” to execute, record, and upload, spanning serious topics to humorous takes.

February 2019

Rapper Lil Nas X releases the country-trap song “Old Town Road” on TikTok, where it gains viral status and extends its reign to a record-setting 17 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This event sparks a wave of TikTok content from musical artists who suddenly recognize the platform as a vital means of engaging with audiences.

TikTok settles federal accusations of breaching U.S. child-privacy regulations, agreeing to a penalty of $5.7 million.

September 2019

The Washington Post notes that while images of Hong Kong democracy protests and police actions are prevalent on numerous social media platforms, they are conspicuously absent on TikTok. The same report highlights that posts tagged with #trump2020 garnered over 70 million views.

The company maintains that TikTok’s content moderation, which occurs in the U.S., is responsible and asserts the app focuses on entertainment rather than political issues.

The Guardian reveals internal documents indicating that TikTok instructs its moderators to eliminate or restrict the reach of videos concerning topics considered sensitive to China, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and ensuing massacre, Tibetan independence, or the multireligious group, Falun Gong.

October 2019

U.S. legislators begin expressing concerns about TikTok’s impact, advocating for federal inquiries into its acquisition of Musical.ly and a national security investigation into TikTok and other apps owned by Chinese companies. Reports indicate that this investigation commenced in November.

December 2019

The Pentagon advises all U.S. military personnel to eliminate TikTok from all devices, whether personal or government-issued. Some branches begin prohibiting the app on military-owned smartphones, leading to a total ban in January.

According to analytics firm SensorTower, TikTok becomes the second-most downloaded app globally.

May 2020

Privacy organizations lodge a complaint alleging TikTok continues to breach U.S. child protection regulations and disregard a 2019 settlement agreement. The company insists it “takes user safety very seriously” and is continually improving its security measures.

TikTok recruits former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its CEO, presumably in an effort to enhance its relations in the U.S. However, he resigns just three months later.

July 2020

India imposes a ban on TikTok and numerous other Chinese applications in response to border tensions with China.

President Donald Trump announces he is contemplating prohibiting TikTok as retaliation for China’s alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 2020

Trump issues a broad yet ambiguous executive order prohibiting American companies from engaging in any “transactions” with ByteDance and its affiliates, including TikTok. Shortly thereafter, he issues a second order requiring ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok’s U.S. operations within 90 days.

Microsoft acknowledges its consideration of acquiring TikTok. However, the deal does not come to fruition, nor does a similar approach from Oracle and Walmart. In the meantime, TikTok initiates legal action against the Trump administration for purported violations of due process concerning its executive orders.

November 2020

Joe Biden wins the presidential election. Although he does not propose new policies regarding TikTok and does not assume office until January, Trump’s efforts to enforce a sale of TikTok begin to unravel. The Trump administration prolongs the deadlines previously imposed on ByteDance and TikTok, eventually allowing them to lapse entirely.

February 2021

Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden suspends the legal challenges connected to Trump’s plan to prohibit TikTok, effectively halting any further action.

September 2021

TikTok announces it has surpassed a billion monthly active users.

December 2021

A report from the Wall Street Journal reveals that TikTok’s algorithms can inundate teenagers with a flood of harmful content, including videos advocating extreme dieting, a manifestation of eating disorders.

February 2022

TikTok unveils new regulations aimed at curtailing the dissemination of harmful content, including viral hoaxes and the promotion of eating disorders.

April 2022

“The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” a project devised by two fans of the Netflix series as a TikTok endeavor, wins the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.

TikTok becomes the leading downloaded app globally, surpassing Instagram according to SensorTower statistics.

June 2022

BuzzFeed reports that employees of ByteDance in China have frequently accessed TikTok users’ private data, based on leaked recordings from over 80 internal TikTok meetings. TikTok responds with a vague statement highlighting its commitment to security, which does not directly address the BuzzFeed report.

TikTok also announces the successful migration of its user data to U.S. servers managed by American technology companies.

firm Oracle. However, this does not stop new concerns among U.S. officials regarding the possibility of Chinese authorities obtaining U.S. user information.

December 2022

FBI Director Christopher Wray expresses national security worries about TikTok, cautioning that Chinese officials might influence the app’s recommendation algorithm for manipulation operations.

ByteDance also noted it terminated four employees who accessed information on journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while trying to trace leaks of classified documents about the organization.

February 2023

The White House instructs federal agencies to ensure that TikTok is removed from all government-issued mobile devices within 30 days. Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission alert that ByteDance might transmit TikTok user data to China’s oppressive regime.

March 2023

Legislators interrogate TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during a six-hour congressional hearing where Chew, originally from Singapore, attempts to counter claims that TikTok and ByteDance are instruments of the Chinese government.

January 2024

TikTok announced it was limiting access to a tool used by some researchers to examine trending videos on the platform.

March 2024

A proposal to prohibit TikTok or compel its sale to a U.S. entity gains momentum in Congress. TikTok brings numerous creators to Washington to urge lawmakers to halt their efforts, while highlighting adjustments the company has implemented to safeguard user information. TikTok also frustrates legislators by sending alerts to users encouraging them to “speak up now” or face the prospect of TikTok’s prohibition; users subsequently inundate congressional offices with calls.

The House of Representatives approves the TikTok ban-or-sell legislation.

April 2024

The Senate follows suit, forwarding the bill to President Biden, who enacts it.

May 2024

TikTok and its Chinese parent firm ByteDance file a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government contesting a law that would compel the sale of ByteDance’s stake or confront a ban, asserting that the statute is unconstitutional.

June 2024

Former President Donald Trump joins TikTok and starts posting content related to his campaign.

July 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris joins TikTok and begins sharing campaign-related content as well.

Dec. 6, 2024

A federal appellate court panel unanimously upheld a statute that could lead to 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 panel of judges rejected the company’s challenge to the law, which it claimed contravened the First Amendment.

Dec. 27, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to delay the potential TikTok ban from taking effect until his administration can seek a “political resolution” to the situation.

Jan. 17, 2025

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the federal law prohibiting TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company, asserting that the perceived threat to national security from its connections to China outweighs the concerns regarding speech limitations imposed by the app. A ban is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025.

Jan. 18, 2025

TikTok users in the United States found themselves unable to view videos on the beloved social media platform mere hours before a federal ban was set to occur.

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” a message in the app stated. “Regrettably, that means you can’t access TikTok for now.”

The company’s app was also removed from major app stores, including those operated by Apple and Google, while its website informed users that the short-form video platform was no longer accessible.

Jan. 19, 2025

Shortly after the app became unavailable for U.S. users, Trump announced he would issue an executive order upon taking office to provide TikTok an extension to remain operational.

A few hours later, TikTok resumed service for users in the United States, indicating that Trump had given “the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”