TikTok Bans and National Security: Can the U.S. Actually Ban an App?
By: Camilla Sidiqi
Just when we thought the fear of losing TikTok was behind us, here we are again, facing that same uncertainty. With a September 17th deadline looming, ByteDance has been ordered to sell TikTok to an American company or risk being banned in the U.S.[1] The clock is ticking, and while some dismiss this as another political stunt, others are wondering: Can the government really do this? Does this not violate my First Amendment rights? If you are asking those questions, you are not alone—I have been thinking the same thing. So let me break it down: does the U.S. government actually have the power to ban an app, and what does this mean for the future of digital platforms?