You’re on TikTok. First you see a duck. It’s playing soccer. Next a boy bites a hot pepper. He screams. Then a girl and her grandma dance to a hip-hop song.

    TikTok is growing fast. You can see why. The videos are cute. The stars are funny.

    But while you watch videos, TikTok collects facts about you. It knows what you search for. It knows what you share. It might even know what you look like.

    Most social media apps gather data like this. Other apps are owned by U.S. companies. TikTok is owned by ByteDance. That’s a company in China.

    That worries U.S. leaders. They say TikTok is a threat to Americans’ privacy and safety.

    So in April, the U.S. passed a law. It says TikTok must be sold. If not, it will face a ban.

    What does this mean for TikTok?

    You’re scrolling through TikTok. First you see a duck playing soccer. Next a boy bites into a hot pepper and screams. Seconds later, a girl and her grandmother dance to a hip-hop song.

    TikTok is growing fast in the United States, and it’s not hard to see why. The videos are cute, and the stars are funny, so you smile and laugh when you spend time on the app.

    But there’s something you should know: While you’re having fun watching videos, TikTok is collecting information about you. The app knows what you search for, what you share, and maybe even what you look like.

    Most social media apps gather this kind of data—but unlike the others, TikTok isn’t owned by an American company. It’s owned by ByteDance, a company in China.

    That worries the U.S. government. Many people say TikTok is a threat to Americans’ privacy and safety.

    So in April, U.S. lawmakers passed a law requiring that TikTok be sold. If it isn’t, the app will face a ban in the U.S.

    What does this mean for the future of TikTok?

    Today more than 170 million Americans use TikTok. When you create an account, you give up some online privacy. TikTok collects more data from adults than from teens. But it does gather info on you.

    In fact, TikTok probably tracks you. It does this even if you don’t use social media. Google, Meta, and other big tech companies track you too. How? They put trackers on popular websites. The trackers record your online activity.

    Why do tech companies track you? They want to know your interests. It’s how they suggest videos and other content for you.

    That’s not all. They make billions of dollars on you. Other companies pay them for your user data. Those companies use the data to target you with ads. Have you ever looked at a pair of sneakers online? And then you keep seeing ads for those sneakers? That’s why!

    Today more than 170 million Americans use TikTok. And just by creating an account, users give up some of their online privacy. TikTok doesn’t collect as much data from teens as it does from adults, but it still gathers info about you.

    In fact, TikTok is probably tracking you—even if you don’t use social media. So are Google, Meta, and other big tech companies. They put invisible trackers on popular websites, and those trackers keep a record of your online activity.

    Why do tech companies care how many sloth videos you watch? For one thing, knowing your interests is helpful. It’s how TikTok suggests videos on your For You page.   

    But there’s another reason tech companies spy: They make billions of dollars on you. Other companies pay them for your user data, then use that data to target you with ads. Have you ever looked at a pair of sneakers online—and then kept seeing ads for those sneakers? That’s why!

    Privacy isn’t the only problem with TikTok though. Lawmakers are also worried about our country’s safety. In China, the government can ask any Chinese company for its data. That means Chinese leaders could order ByteDance to hand over data about Americans. 

    What’s the big deal? U.S. lawmakers say that China could use that data in troubling ways. They even worry the Chinese government might use it to spy on us.

    TikTok’s leaders say that they would never share Americans’ data with the Chinese government. But U.S. lawmakers aren’t so sure. 

    That’s why the new law says TikTok must be sold to a company approved by the U.S. The sale has to happen by early 2025. If not, the app will be banned in the U.S.

    Privacy isn’t the only issue with TikTok. Lawmakers also worry about our country’s safety. The Chinese government can ask any Chinese company for its data. So Chinese leaders could order ByteDance to hand over its data.

    How might the data be used? U.S. lawmakers worry the Chinese government might use it to spy on us.

    TikTok’s leaders say they won’t give Americans’ data to the Chinese government. But U.S. lawmakers aren’t so sure.

    The new law says TikTok must be sold to a company approved by the U.S. It must happen by early 2025. If not, the app will be banned in the U.S.

    Privacy isn’t the only problem with TikTok, though. Lawmakers are also worried about our country’s safety. The Chinese government can ask any Chinese company for its data—which means Chinese leaders could order ByteDance to hand over data about Americans.

    Why is that a big deal? U.S. lawmakers are concerned that China could use the data in troubling ways. They even worry that the Chinese government might use it to spy on us.

    TikTok’s leaders claim they’d never share Americans’ data with the Chinese government, but U.S. lawmakers aren’t so sure.

    That’s why the new law says that TikTok must be sold to a company approved by the U.S. The sale must happen by early 2025, or else the app will be banned in the U.S.

_{Thanks to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., for its help with this story.}

_{Thanks to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., for its help with this story.}

_{Thanks to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., for its help with this story.}