Click Here: The TikTok Ban, China, And National Security

The story of TikTok in the U.S. is one that's had many chapters, to say the least.First, then-President Donald Trump called for its ban in 2020. Then, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan law in 2024 requiring the company in charge of the video-sharing platform to sell the app or face a ban. Then, the app went dark this January after failing to sell, only to come back hours later, thanking newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump for his support in keeping the app operational. The president extended the deadline for the sale until April.Why is the government so uncomfortable with TikTok and Chinese parent company ByteDance? What's going to happen in April when the same deadline to sell arises once again? We discuss what the future holds for TikTok with our friends at the Click Here podcast. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy