The clock’s been “tiking” for TikTok ever since the US banned the app on government devices.
And TikTok is already making moves to prevent a nationwide ban from happening…
Transparency talks: The discussions between ByteDance—TikTok’s parent company—and US officials and lawmakers are becoming more urgent.
So ByteDance has proposed “measures to ensure oversight” in an attempt to convince the US that TikTok can operate independently from its Chinese-based parent.
How? By developing a system and structure that would change how TikTok recommends content and handles user data, apparently.
ByteDance claims “significant progress has been made” already.
Of course, if the two parties fail to settle, ByteDance could be forced to sell some of its operations or leave the US market altogether—which would be rough for marketers.
Why we care: It looks like the future of TikTok rests on these discussions, and the verdict could impact the entire marketing landscape.
If ByteDance can find a middle ground with US officials, there’s still hope we can keep scrolling—and advertising.
However, the new changes could also impact TikTok’s powerful algorithm for worse. Interesting times…