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TikTok ban raises concerns, tech expert warns of conceivable monopoly

By
Updated  March 13, 2024 6:47pm CDT
TikTok
FOX 26 Houston

TikTok ban bill passes in US House

The House passed a bill that could cause a nationwide ban of the China-based app TikTok if the owner does not sell its stake. FOX 26's Jonathan Mejia spoke to a technology expert on what could happen next.

HOUSTON - In a move that might revolutionize digital content sharing, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill threatening to ban the social media application TikTok. This bill, still to face senate assessment, will necessitate the China-based video app's owner to sell its stake to avoid a nationwide ban.

Possessing a user count exceeding 150 million Americans, the potential ban on TikTok - owned by a Chinese technology firm - has elicited substantial concern among lawmakers.

Juan Guevara-Torres, a technology expert with 17 years of experience, believes there may be broader motives for this ban. Torres questions if the sole targeting of TikTok is because of its Chinese origins and perceived threat.

TIKTOK: TikTok ban bill passes in the House: Here’s what happens next

"Is it really a motive to ban TikTok? Which I don’t think it is; because Facebook is selling data to the Chinese. Instagram is selling American user data to the Chinese," Guevara-Torres said.

Meanwhile, Senate approval and President Joe Biden's signature are required for the ban to take effect. If imposed, Torres anticipates other social media platforms may experience significant user influx. 

Possible TikTok ban explained by technology expert

A bill to ban TikTok has passed in the House and will await its turn in the Senate. Juan Guevara-Torres, a technology expert sat down with FOX 26 reporter Jonathan Mejia to explain more on what this could mean.

"Facebook is going to resuscitate. We know Facebook is dying. Facebook has a massive amount of users leaving Facebook. Instagram is doing good. WhatsApp is doing good," Guevara-Torres said.

Torres further adds that despite the potential ban, American users may still access and download TikTok, but without updates, leading to a technical quandary.

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"It’s a technological nightmare to segregate the feeds from different countries. Are you going to be able to see feeds from different countries but not the U.S.? Are you still going to be able to post your feed or content if you are in the United States?" Guevara-Torres said.

Torres warns the new legislation might inadvertently foster a monopoly for Meta, Facebook's parent company. He encourages content creators and business owners to diversify their online presence across multiple social media platforms.