Not just TikTok, these ByteDance apps are also banned
What's the story
In a major development, a number of apps owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance have been blocked in the US. This includes the widely popular video-sharing platform TikTok, which had a user base of 170 million in the country. The blockage comes under a federal law enacted last year, citing national security concerns over Chinese companies sharing data with their government and intelligence agencies.
Company statement
TikTok's response to the US ban
In response to the ban, TikTok flashed a message to its US users saying, "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can't use the TikTok app for now." The company also expressed hope for future negotiations with President-elect Donald Trump once he takes office. Similar alerts were witnessed on other ByteDance-owned apps like CapCut and Lemon8.
List
List of ByteDance apps affected by the US ban
Along with TikTok, other apps in its ecosystem including TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller, and TikTok Lite have also been impacted. CapCut, a video-editing tool commonly used by amateur creators has gone dark. Lemon8, a photo-based social media app launched in February 2023 is also no longer available. Gauth, an educational app that employs AI to help students with their homework has also been affected by this ban.
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Other apps and exceptions
Hypic, an AI-powered photo-editing tool, Marvel Snap, and Lark, a Slack-like workspace communications app, are also on the list of blocked apps. Apps published by Singapore-based ByteDance subsidiary Poligon like Melolo and Fizzo have also been impacted. Interestingly, MyTopia Books managed to slip through the ban and is still available on Apple's US App Store.