TikTok Under Fire: How the Platform Sparked Political Crises

One of the first and most talked about actions of the recently inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump is his veto of the TikTok ban in the U.S.A. A federal law was set to take effect on 19th January, one day before the inauguration which would have shut down the operations of the Chinese-owned social media platform, but upon his promise to restore the app, TikTok resumed services. U.S. officials are not the only ones having problems with the video app: Romania had to annul the presidential election in late 2024 due to foreign meddling over the platform and TikTok is also about to be banned in Albania, after a fatal stabbing blamed on social media.

Problematic platform

US officials have a list of problems with the app: FBI Director Chris Wray has said TikTok poses a national security risk, while members of Congress have stated that the Chinese government has a "golden share" in ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. Wray claims that TikTok poses a national security risk, as Chinese law requires companies like ByteDance, to comply with government demands for data and influence. While TikTok insists that a Chinese government-linked entity only owns a small share in a ByteDance subsidiary, lawmakers argue that China may have significant power over the platform.

Wray and former NSA Director Paul Nakasone express concerns that China could manipulate TikTok’s algorithm to spread propaganda or suppress certain viewpoints. A federal appeals court ruling noted that ongoing investigations into TikTok’s security risks justify regulatory action. Furthermore, U.S. lawmakers warn that the Chinese government could compel ByteDance to share American user data under a 2017 National intelligence law – TikTok insists that U.S. user data has never been shared and that because it is incorporated in California and Delaware, it is subject to U.S. laws and regulations.

In December 2022, ByteDance admitted that employees unjustly accessed TikTok user data to track two journalists investigating company leaks. Four employees were involved – two in China and two in the U.S. – who were fired, and TikTok said they were taking additional steps to protect user data. 

Trump to the rescue

Due to these transgressions and concerns, a federal ban was set to take effect on Sunday, forcing TikTok to shut operations in the U.S.A., concerning 170 million users. TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday even before the law took effect, but it began restoring its services on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump said he would restore the app in the U.S. when he returns to power on Monday. TikTok issued an earlier statement after U.S. users reported being able to access the app: "In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service." TikTok also thanked Trump for "providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive."

Meddling with the Romanian election

The most recent and most serious scandal in the region involving TikTok went down in Romania in 2024 after the presidential election. Romania's coalition government has just approved a re-run of a two-round presidential election in May, and they also tightened campaign rules for social media platforms. This was a necessary step after the country's top court annulled the ballot due to Calin Georgescu’s controversial win, by suspected Russian interference. Officials stated that the previously little-known far-right pro-Russian politician won the first presidential round in November, benefiting a massive social media campaign, especially on TikTok which gave him preferential treatment – all denied by the platform.

The tightened rules for elections include a decree saying campaign materials will need to be clearly marked as election content, also their sponsors should be identified. Social media platforms must take down content which are not in line with the rules, and they must do it within five hours of a request from Romanian election officials, or else they risk fines of between 1% and 5% of their turnover.

Ban in Albania

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced a one-year ban on TikTok in December, following the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old in Tirana and citing harmful social media trends as a cause. Although the social media platform said they haven’t found any evidence that the perpetrator or the victim had a TikTok account, according to the Prime Minister’s explanation the fight between the children had roots in social media and after the stabbing, videos allegedly appeared on TikTok showing young people supporting the killing.

The proposed ban was supposed to start in January, but it has raised concerns among opposition politicians and human rights watchers as many see this act as an abuse of power to suppress freedom of speech. The Prime Minister framed the decision as part of broader efforts to protect the youth, but it’s also argued that this ban lacks due process, and it may face EU scrutiny in the future as Albania has been an EU candidate country since 2014 and formally opened its accession process in 2022.