Against a backdrop of escalating US-China tensions, TikTok takes centre stage. This time, with a ban in the US. The tussle over the platform is but a microcosm of the intricate political manoeuvring involved in securing digital sovereignty, and the repercussions of doing so.
A Ban Years in the Making
The saga has been a long one. The Trump’s administration initial attempts to coerce a sale in 2020 collapsed under Biden, only for the issue to resurface with renewed urgency in 2023. Montana’s attempt to proscribe the app then failed on constitutional grounds — violating the First Amendment that protects freedom of speech, while possessing a pervasive undertone of anti-Chinese sentiment.
But by January 2025, a mercurial Trump signed the executive order to uphold a nationwide moratorium on the app, citing national security concerns. With TikTok swiftly excised from app stores and rendered inaccessible in the States, the ban seemed final — with creators on the platform conveying their goodbyes, and a brief introspection of old trends on the platform (slime-making, dalgona coffee and the Renegade dance) being observed.
Yet in a twist fit for a dystopian thriller, Tiktok left a rather cryptic message: ‘We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office’. A day later, TikTok CEO Shou Chew appeared at his inauguration, and soon after, a caveat was proposed: TikTok was allowed to stay but with significant reforms to its US operations architecture. In essence, the US must have a stake in a joint venture financed by a newly established sovereign wealth fund: a bold move deeply symbolic of the digital power struggle today.
With such broad bipartisan support in Congress, the restrictions are unlikely to be reversed, and so Bytedance may have to succumb to the offer. As each bloc aims to stifle the influence of the other by securing digital sovereignty, what will be the future of globalised platforms?
Digital Sovereignty and Cybersecurity
The crux of the controversy lies in digital sovereignty, a term used to describe the ownership and regulation of data within a state. The US Congress has long accused TikTok of being a Trojan horse for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — dubiously claiming that ByteDance steals data by accessing users’ ‘home Wi-Fi network’, among other allegations. Though the understanding was rather misconstrued, who can blame Congress for being concerned? Even after the platform attempted to assuage fears by transferring US user data to Oracle-owned, US-based servers, there were reports of ByteDance employees improperly accessing US journalist data in 2022.
Additionally, the broader context of India banning TikTok, and Australia restricting the use of Chinese-owned Deepseek AI by government officials, underscores the disapproval towards Chinese tech that stems from fear of compromising national security.
Meanwhile, the US remains permeable to external influence within the digital domain, while China’s firewall prevents any meaningful reciprocity. There is a stark asymmetry — a critical point of contention: while China has successfully maintained a digital moat through the means of Douyin, and through the prohibition of several US-based platforms, the US finds itself bereft of a homegrown equivalent to call its own. This imbalance, that the US is not accustomed to — considering its global dominance hitherto — explains its willingness to curtail the First Amendment in favour of digital sovereignty.
A Stifling of Free Speech
As an avenue for political discourse, a town hall for marginalised communities, and a platform that bolsters education and awareness, the ban represented a profound loss for many.
During the 12-hour ban, US users, who dubbed themselves ‘TikTok refugees’, flocked to RedNote, experiencing genuine cross-border interactions with the locals domiciled in China. For many Americans, this was their first unfiltered impression of the Chinese beyond the proselytised narrative of the authoritarian and censorial regime they ‘suffered’ under — so Beijing’s tacit acceptance of the blatant bypassing of the Great Firewall was rather unsurprising. Indeed, this was a golden opportunity to alter the narrative on China. RedNote wasted no time in adapting too — swiftly hiring English-speaking moderators to enhance platform accessibility, reinforcing Western hypocrisy: it was now China enabling free-flowing discourse, and the US stifling it. Intriguingly, this could highlight a broader movement towards establishing soft power in the digital world, by empowering connection rather than dismantling it.
Even after TikTok’s resurrection, it has faced allegations of algorithmic manipulation aimed at shaping public perception. Reports of increased content moderation were not uncommon either, as epitomised by the censorship of Lisa Cline’s response to Bishop Mariann’s fervent call for compassion toward the LGBT and immigrant community during Trump’s inauguration. It seems that the US, losing its grip on perceived global dominance even among its citizens, is grasping at straws to retain some semblance of control over its online presence.
The Trump Factor
These trends are undeniably emblematic of Trump’s broader leadership style — an amalgamation of nationalist rhetoric and political brinkmanship. His recharacterisation from villain to saviour of TikTok positions him as both a dealmaker and guardian of American interests. This mirrors his approach to tariff negotiations and gun violence during his campaign, reinforcing a leadership style that often leans on narratives of heroism, whether substantiated or not.
With AI-powered fact-checking being dismantled in favor of community-based content moderation, the media risks further weaponisation to serve political agendas — much like when Trump’s tweets led to his ban for inciting violence. As a natural demagogue, Trump explicitly employs political tribalism to unite, while his broader policy agenda remains deeply divisive. His ability to spin digital sovereignty into a nationalist rallying cry is no accident, and the push for self-sufficiency within tech aligns with de-globalist sentiments — there is an inherent element of protectionism within the TikTok ban that extols the Make America Great Again movement. His capricious leadership style likely means that digital sovereignty will gain more primacy under his administration.
Precedent or Anomaly?
National security, however, extends far beyond digital sovereignty. It encompasses the dissemination of accurate information over divisive rhetoric designed to fracture societies. Banning a platform that millions rely on to express their perspectives and build communities is not only counterintuitive to the First Amendment but also undermines the very principles that have defined America for decades, alongside the original intent of the internet to connect.
The TikTok ban, its convoluted revival, and the ensuing events underscore deep fractures in digital ecosystems, where national borders are being redrawn in cyberspace under the banner of nationalism. Whether more nations will follow suit, acting on their distrust of foreign influence and online disinformation, remains to be seen. Digital sovereignty matters — but securing it ultimately depends on the will of states to navigate these shifting dynamics.
References
Am I being censored? Some US TikTok users say app feels different after ban lifted. (2025, January 25). The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/am-i-being-censored-some-us-tiktok-users-say-app-feels-different-after-ban-lifted
Aratani, L. (2025, February 4). Trump signs order to create sovereign wealth fund that could buy TikTok. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/03/trump-sovereign-wealth-fund-tiktok
China’s Silence on US TikTok Ban Speaks Volumes. (2024, September 26). Bloomberg. Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-09-25/china-s-silence-on-us-tiktok-ban-speaks-volumes
Hoskins, B. P. (2023, June 7). TikTok: ByteDance accused of helping China spy on Hong Kong activists. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65817608
Lutkevich, B. (2025, January 27). TikTok bans explained: Everything you need to know. WhatIs. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/TikTok-bans-explained-Everything-you-need-to-know
Oxford, D. (2025, January 10). Meta, Facebook to drop fact-checkers: What does this mean for social media? Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/10/meta-facebook-to-drop-fact-checkers-what-does-this-mean-for-social-media
Reporter, G. S. (2023, January 2). TikTok admits using its app to spy on reporters in effort to track leaks. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/22/tiktok-bytedance-workers-fired-data-access-journalists
Wang, Y. T. a. F. (2025, January 17). RedNote: Americans and Chinese share jokes on “alternative TikTok” as US ban looms. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c983lr756xwo
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