TikTok’s uncertain future leaves US users distraught

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened to block Chinese-owned apps like TikTok over national security concerns

The news set off a wave of worries among its devoted user base, who are coming up with backup plans on other services such as Byte

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US lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:43pm, 14 Jul 2020Updated: 9:45pm, 14 Jul 2020

Ty Gibson, 20, of Greensboro, North Carolina, brushed off speculation last week on TikTok that his favourite video sharing platform was going to be banned.

By Thursday, users panicked after a glitch on the service erased video views, a measure of video popularity. Suddenly, news reports of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s threats to block Chinese-owned apps like TikTok hit home as he watched other users flood the app with goodbyes.

US lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data, and said they were worried it would be required to share data with the Chinese government.

“I thought it was the end,” Gibson said. “I didn’t even have time to think things through.”

Gibson recorded his own farewell video for his 4.6 million fans, asking them to follow him on YouTube and Instagram.

While TikTok’s fate in the US is undecided, the news set off a wave of worries among its devoted user base, who are coming up with backup plans on other services. Some, like e-sports star Tyler Blevins, known more widely as Ninja, who has 4 million followers on TikTok, told his 6 million followers on Twitter that he already deleted TikTok from his phone.