How TikTok went from teen sensation to political pariah
The Washington Post
3/16/2023
In the seven years since TikTok was born as a niche lip-syncing app for Chinese teens, the platform has reshaped the media landscape — forcing U.S. tech giants to reckon with a foreign rival. The short-form video platform has amassed startling economic power, with more than a billion users and revenue expected to surpass YouTube’s, at nearly $25 billion by 2025.
Critics argue that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, makes the app a national security threat, potentially allowing it to share data about its American users or steer its algorithms at Beijing’s behest. This concern has spiraled into a slew of political action: A former president tried to ban the platform, and more than two dozen states have barred the app from government-owned devices — a panic that some describe as a threat to free speech in America.
How TikTok ate the internetThe debate over TikTok is a stand-in for a host of political discontents. Here’s how TikTok went from a teen sensation to Washington’s boogeyman:
1. September 2016
Sept. 26
In China, ByteDance launches the lip-syncing social media app Douyin, the predecessor of what would become TikTok.
2. September 2017
Sept. 13
ByteDance rebrands Douyin into TikTok, targeting young people around the world.
3. November 2017
Nov. 9
ByteDance acquires Musical.ly, the popular lip-syncing app with an established following that inspired Douyin’s creation.
4. July 2018
July 4
Indonesia temporarily bans TikTok, citing concerns of “pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy.” The ban was lifted less than a week later after the app agreed to censor some of its content.
5. August 2018
Aug. 1
Musical.ly, with its 100 million active users, and TikTok merge into one video app, triggering massive growth.
6. October 2018
Oct. 31
Worldwide monthly installs of TikTok surpass both Facebook and Instagram for the first time, according to Sensor Tower data, emphasizing the app’s power in an industry long dominated by American companies.
7. February 2019
Feb. 21
TikTok crosses 1 billion downloads globally on the App Store and Google Play.
Feb. 27
The Federal Trade Commission fines Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, $5.7 million over allegations that it collected children’s data, in violation of federal law. The FTC claims the company didn’t notify parents about the app’s collection of personal information from users under 13. The company had received thousands of complaints from parents of young Musical.ly users.
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Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident “I chose to survive,” Marvel actor Jeremy Renner said to Diane Sawyer in an interview airing April 6 on ABC, his first since the snowplow accident in January. (Reuters)
The Washington Post
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Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil Former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro left Florida on March 29, after spending three months in the U.S. after his loss in his country's presidential election. (Samantha Cavalca via Storyful)
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Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing Lawmakers say Starbucks broke laws protecting workers who wanted to unionize. Sr. Politics reporter Rhonda Colvin explains what happened in the hearing. (The Washington Post)
9. November 2019
Nov. 1
The U.S. government investigates TikTok over national security concerns, reviewing the 2017 deal in which Beijing-based ByteDance bought Musical.ly for up to $1 billion.
10. December 2019
Dec. 31
The U.S. Army bans TikTok on military devices, following a Pentagon missive urging employees to uninstall the app. The Pentagon generally avoids weighing in on individual social media companies, and the move reflects burgeoning concerns about the app.
11. April 2020
April 20
TikTok reaches a total of more than 2 billion downloads on the App Store and Google Play, generating the most downloads for any app in a single quarter.
12. May 2020
May 18
TikTok hires Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its new CEO, which is seen as an effort to win over American officials skeptical of TikTok’s Chinese roots and to grow the company’s entertainment prospects.
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Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident
The Washington Post -
Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil
The Washington Post -
Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars
The Washington Post -
Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing
The Washington Post -
Rescue dog and goat play together
The Washington Post -
One man's dash to save his family before the tornado hit
The Washington Post -
Sanders grills Starbucks founder on labor issues
The Washington Post -
Tenn. Republican: ‘We’re not going to fix’ mass shootings
The Washington Post -
Thune: ‘Premature’ to talk gun legislation after Nashville
The Washington Post -
‘America is the enemy of God’: Calls for revenge at Soleimani funeral in Iraq
The Washington Post -
Austin warns Senators against slowing officer promotions
The Washington Post -
Paris protesters clash with police over pension reforms
The Washington Post -
Body-camera shows police shoot Nashville assailant
The Washington Post -
Nashville school shooter bought 7 firearms legally
The Washington Post -
Senate chaplain: 'We must move beyond thoughts and prayers'
The Washington Post
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Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars The Senate on March 29 voted 66-30 to repeal authorizations for the use of military force for the Iraq and Persian Gulf wars. (The Washington Post)
13. June 2020
June 20
TikTokers and K-pop fans claim they sabotaged President Donald Trump’s Tulsa rally registrations by reserving free tickets but having no intention of showing up.
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Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident
The Washington Post -
Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil
The Washington Post -
Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars
The Washington Post -
Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing
The Washington Post -
Rescue dog and goat play together
The Washington Post -
One man's dash to save his family before the tornado hit
The Washington Post -
Sanders grills Starbucks founder on labor issues
The Washington Post -
Tenn. Republican: ‘We’re not going to fix’ mass shootings
The Washington Post -
Thune: ‘Premature’ to talk gun legislation after Nashville
The Washington Post -
‘America is the enemy of God’: Calls for revenge at Soleimani funeral in Iraq
The Washington Post -
Austin warns Senators against slowing officer promotions
The Washington Post -
Paris protesters clash with police over pension reforms
The Washington Post -
Body-camera shows police shoot Nashville assailant
The Washington Post -
Nashville school shooter bought 7 firearms legally
The Washington Post -
Senate chaplain: 'We must move beyond thoughts and prayers'
The Washington Post
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14. July 2020
July 6
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is considering banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, citing security and privacy concerns and setting off the Trump administration’s campaign against the app.
July 31
Trump says he plans to bar TikTok from operating in the United States because of national security concerns
16. August 2020
Aug. 5
Facebook launches Reels, a copycat feature in Instagram designed to compete with TikTok. The release illustrates TikTok’s dominance within younger audiences, as legacy social media companies scramble to replicate its success.
Aug. 6
The U.S. Senate approves a bill banning federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices, and Trump signs an executive order to effectively ban the use of TikTok in the United States.
Aug. 24
TikTok sues the Trump administration over its efforts to ban the app.
Aug. 26
Amid the Trump administration’s impending ban, Mayer resigns after three months as TikTok’s CEO.
As Washington wavers on TikTok, Beijing exerts controlAug. 27
After Trump says TikTok can continue to operate domestically with American ownership, Walmart and Microsoft join forces in a bid to acquire the app’s U.S. operations.
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Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident
The Washington Post -
Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil
The Washington Post -
Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars
The Washington Post -
Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing
The Washington Post -
Rescue dog and goat play together
The Washington Post -
One man's dash to save his family before the tornado hit
The Washington Post -
Sanders grills Starbucks founder on labor issues
The Washington Post -
Tenn. Republican: ‘We’re not going to fix’ mass shootings
The Washington Post -
Thune: ‘Premature’ to talk gun legislation after Nashville
The Washington Post -
‘America is the enemy of God’: Calls for revenge at Soleimani funeral in Iraq
The Washington Post -
Austin warns Senators against slowing officer promotions
The Washington Post -
Paris protesters clash with police over pension reforms
The Washington Post -
Body-camera shows police shoot Nashville assailant
The Washington Post -
Nashville school shooter bought 7 firearms legally
The Washington Post -
Senate chaplain: 'We must move beyond thoughts and prayers'
The Washington Post
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21. September 2020
Sept. 27
A federal judge temporarily blocks the Trump administration’s ban on TikTok.
22. December 2020
Dec. 7
A second federal judge halts Trump’s TikTok ban, finding that the administration probably overstepped its authority and, by using presidential emergency powers, “acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner by failing to consider obvious alternatives.”
23. June 2021
June 9
President Biden revokes Trump’s TikTok ban but sets up a security review of foreign-owned apps.
-
Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident
The Washington Post -
Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil
The Washington Post -
Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars
The Washington Post -
Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing
The Washington Post -
Rescue dog and goat play together
The Washington Post -
One man's dash to save his family before the tornado hit
The Washington Post -
Sanders grills Starbucks founder on labor issues
The Washington Post -
Tenn. Republican: ‘We’re not going to fix’ mass shootings
The Washington Post -
Thune: ‘Premature’ to talk gun legislation after Nashville
The Washington Post -
‘America is the enemy of God’: Calls for revenge at Soleimani funeral in Iraq
The Washington Post -
Austin warns Senators against slowing officer promotions
The Washington Post -
Paris protesters clash with police over pension reforms
The Washington Post -
Body-camera shows police shoot Nashville assailant
The Washington Post -
Nashville school shooter bought 7 firearms legally
The Washington Post -
Senate chaplain: 'We must move beyond thoughts and prayers'
The Washington Post
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24. March 2022
March 10
The White House briefs TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine, highlighting the app’s ascendant power as a news platform and a key tool in the Biden administration’s efforts to reach young people.
25. October 2022
Oct. 25
Biden meets with TikTok creators ahead of the midterm elections.
-
Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident
The Washington Post -
Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil
The Washington Post -
Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing
The Washington Post -
Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars
The Washington Post -
Rescue dog and goat play together
The Washington Post -
One man's dash to save his family before the tornado hit
The Washington Post -
Sanders grills Starbucks founder on labor issues
The Washington Post -
Tenn. Republican: ‘We’re not going to fix’ mass shootings
The Washington Post -
Thune: ‘Premature’ to talk gun legislation after Nashville
The Washington Post -
‘America is the enemy of God’: Calls for revenge at Soleimani funeral in Iraq
The Washington Post -
Austin warns Senators against slowing officer promotions
The Washington Post -
Paris protesters clash with police over pension reforms
The Washington Post -
Body-camera shows police shoot Nashville assailant
The Washington Post -
Nashville school shooter bought 7 firearms legally
The Washington Post -
Senate chaplain: 'We must move beyond thoughts and prayers'
The Washington Post
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26. November 2022
Nov. 10
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) call for national ban on TikTok in a Washington Post op-ed, warning of TikTok’s supposed threat.
Nov. 29
South Dakota bans TikTok from state-owned devices, sparking a wave of state bans.
28. December 2022
Dec. 14
The Senate passes a bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok on government devices.
Dec. 22
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, fires four employees after an internal investigation found that they had accessed data on two journalists and other U.S. users while attempting to track down a company leak.
-
Jeremy Renner gives first interview since snowplow accident
The Washington Post -
Bolsonaro leaves Florida for Brazil
The Washington Post -
Senate votes to repeal authorizations for Iraq, Gulf wars
The Washington Post -
Why Starbucks was the focus of a Senate hearing
The Washington Post -
Rescue dog and goat play together
The Washington Post -
One man's dash to save his family before the tornado hit
The Washington Post -
Sanders grills Starbucks founder on labor issues
The Washington Post -
Tenn. Republican: ‘We’re not going to fix’ mass shootings
The Washington Post -
Thune: ‘Premature’ to talk gun legislation after Nashville
The Washington Post -
‘America is the enemy of God’: Calls for revenge at Soleimani funeral in Iraq
The Washington Post -
Austin warns Senators against slowing officer promotions
The Washington Post -
Paris protesters clash with police over pension reforms
The Washington Post -
Body-camera shows police shoot Nashville assailant
The Washington Post -
Nashville school shooter bought 7 firearms legally
The Washington Post -
Senate chaplain: 'We must move beyond thoughts and prayers'
The Washington Post
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30. January 2023
Jan. 1
TikTok becomes the most-downloaded app in 2022, with about 730 million worldwide installations for the year, compared to Instagram’s 701 million and Facebook’s 641 million.
Jan. 10
Over a frenzied five-week stretch, nearly two dozen state governors and officials restrict TikTok in their states, dialing up the dim political sentiment against the app.
Jan. 24
The University of Wisconsin joins several universities in banning TikTok on system devices. Students quickly figure out loopholes, using their phones’ data plans rather than school WiFi to access the video app.
33. February 2023
Feb. 15
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew launches an aggressive push in Washington to prove that the Chinese-owned app is not a national security threat. The diplomatic offensive ends months of silence, a strategy shift for TikTok.
Feb. 27
The White House gives government agencies 30 days to ensure that they do not have TikTok on federal devices.
35. March 2023
March 15
The Biden administration pushes a plan that would require TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest from the popular app, in an escalation of the White House’s efforts to address national security concerns.
Editing by Karly Domb Sadof and Alexis Sobel Fitts.
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