The Future of TikTok in America: My Interview in Handelsblatt

April 20, 2024

I was delighted to be interviewed this week by Handelsblatt, the leading German newspaper, about the U.S. Congress’ legislative move to ban TikTok.

The legislation now looks assured of passage following the House of Representatives passing a new version to meet the demands of key Senators. A final vote in the Senate is likely on Tuesday, April 23, but it could be delayed by a week.

Is this really the end for TikTok in the U.S.? Not immediately. While the legislation now about to be passed dealt with some of the potential legal issues, look for ByteDance (the parent company of TikTok) to immediately go to the U.S. Federal Court to overthrow the legislation, likely on an argument that it violates the First Amendment rights of both the company and its users. That all but assures a prolonged - perhaps multi-year - battle before TikTok disappears from users’ screens.

You can read the interview HERE (and unless you speak or read German, you might want to use Google Translate or another system to read it!).