By July 2015, Musical.ly had reached the pinnacle of success by becoming the number-one app in the Apple App Store. This was a significant achievement for a relatively new platform and a testament to its growing influence. The app’s success was driven by a combination of factors, including its user-friendly interface, the viral nature of its content, and its ability to create a sense of community among its users. Musical.ly was more than just a tool for creating videos; it was a social network where users connected over shared interests in music and performance.
The rise of Musical.ly highlighted the increasing importance of short-form video content in the social media landscape. It also demonstrated the potential for apps that allowed users to express themselves creatively and share their content with a global audience. This success story set the stage for what would eventually become one of the most significant mergers in social media history.
2016: Douyin and the Birth of TikTok
Inspired by Musical.ly’s success and the growing popularity of short-form video content, ByteDance entered the social media space with its video-sharing app. In 2016, ByteDance launched Douyin, a platform similar to Musical.ly but tailored specifically for the Chinese market. Douyin quickly gained traction in China thanks to its powerful algorithm that recommended content based on user preferences, ensuring that users remained engaged and entertained.
Douyin’s rapid and undeniable success in China prompted ByteDance to consider expanding its reach beyond Chinese borders. In 2017, ByteDance launched a global version of Douyin under the name TikTok. The global launch of TikTok marked the beginning of a new era in social media, with the app retaining many of Douyin’s features, including its algorithm-driven content recommendations and its focus on short-form video. The stage was set for TikTok to become a global phenomenon.
Why a Ban?
The rapid growth of TikTok brought it to the attention of governments and regulators worldwide, particularly in the United States. Driven by the app’s Chinese ownership and the vast amounts of data it collected from its users, national security and data privacy concerns began to surface.
National Security Concerns
The U.S. government’s concerns about TikTok stemmed from the potential for the Chinese government to access user data collected by the app. Under Chinese law, companies must cooperate with government requests for data, leading to fears that TikTok could be used for espionage or influence operations. The FBI and other national security officials warned that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could be compelled to hand over data to the Chinese government or manipulate content to promote Chinese interests.
These concerns were exacerbated by TikTok’s immense popularity in the United States, with millions of users sharing personal information on the platform. The possibility that a foreign government could access this data raised alarm bells among U.S. lawmakers and security officials.
The Role Of The Chinese Government
Another factor fueling concerns about TikTok is the Chinese government’s relationship with private corporations like ByteDance. In China, the Communist Party exercises significant control over private enterprises, and companies are often expected to align with government policies. This has led to worries that ByteDance, despite its claims of independence, could be influenced or coerced by the Chinese government to act in ways not in the best interests of its users or host countries.
ByteDance has repeatedly denied these allegations, asserting that it operates independently of the Chinese government and that TikTok’s data is stored in servers outside of China. However, these assurances have done little to quell the concerns of U.S. lawmakers and security officials.
Legislative and Political Moves
TikTok’s national security concerns prompted a series of legislative and political actions in the United States, starting with the Trump administration and continuing under President Joe Biden.
Trump Administration’s Push
The first major push to ban TikTok in the United States came from the Trump administration. In August 2020, President Trump issued an executive order banning American companies from engaging in transactions with ByteDance and its subsidiaries, effectively banning TikTok from operating in the United States. The order cited national security concerns and gave ByteDance 90 days to divest its U.S. operations.
The Trump administration also attempted to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company, with Microsoft and Oracle emerging as potential buyers. However, these efforts ultimately failed, and TikTok responded by suing the U.S. government, arguing in court, that the executive orders violated due process.
Biden Administration’s Continuation
When President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the legal battles surrounding TikTok were temporarily halted. The Biden administration sought to review the national security risks posed by TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps. This review led to new legislative efforts aimed at addressing the concerns raised by the Trump administration, including the possibility of forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok or banning the app outright.
In 2024, Congress passed a bill requiring ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok within 165 days or face a nationwide ban. President Biden signed the bill into law, setting the stage for a legal showdown between TikTok and the U.S. government.
State-Level Actions
In addition to federal actions, several U.S. states took steps to restrict or ban TikTok. Montana became the first state to pass legislation banning TikTok outright, although a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban from taking effect. Other states followed suit by using legislation banning TikTok on government-issued devices, reflecting the growing concern about the app’s potential security risks.
Timeline of Events 2017-2024
November 2017: ByteDance Acquires Musical.ly
In November 2017, ByteDance made a strategic decision that would significantly shape the future of TikTok by acquiring Musical.ly for $1 billion. This acquisition was not just a financial transaction; it was a calculated move to combine the strengths of two popular platforms. By merging Musical.ly with TikTok, ByteDance aimed to create a single, unified platform that could dominate the global social media landscape. The merger allowed ByteDance to leverage Musical.ly’s existing user base, particularly in the United States, and introduce TikTok to a broader audience.
The merger was completed in 2018, with Musical.ly being rebranded as TikTok. This move marked a critical turning point in TikTok’s journey, as it rapidly grew in popularity, becoming one of the most downloaded apps worldwide. The merger allowed TikTok to build on Musical.ly’s focus on music and performance while expanding its scope to include a wider variety of content, from dance challenges to cooking tutorials.
February 2019: Lil Nas X and “Old Town Road”