With 1 billion active users across more than 150 countries, TikTok is one of the most popular video apps in the world. Nearly one in three Americans have an account, and since 2021 it has been downloaded more than any other app. But unlike competing social media platforms, TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. Some worry that data from users in the United States could be transmitted to China's government, despite assurances from ByteDance that this does not happen. These concerns, however, spurred President Joe Biden (D) to ban TikTok from U.S. government phones in December 2022. More than half of states across the country have taken similar action. But with rising tensions between the United States and China-and mounting questions of Chinese surveillance-some are calling for lawmakers to go further and ban TikTok completely. Supporters of such a move argue it would protect Americans' privacy and U.S. national security and prevent the Chinese government from gaining access to critical data. Opponents dismiss these fears as overblown, arguing that such a ban would outlaw a popular and important tool in the video marketplace, and that users would easily find ways to access the platform. Should the U.S. ban TikTok?

Originally released by Intelligence Squared US, 2023. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on May 24, 2023.