The US Congress just passed a bill to ban TikTok. While the tension in the West is high, the SEA region still looks friendly to the platform.
TikTok lost round one in the “best of five” battle against the ban by the US government, but it isn’t banned yet in the US.
The US Congress passed the bill to ban TikTok unless the Beijing-based parent firm ByteDance sold its stake. If not, Americans will lose access to the platform, axing many users who also use it for their businesses.
The US government argued that the platform threatens national security because the Chinese government could utilize it as a spying tool on Americans. Meanwhile, TikTok countered that it would deny requests of the Chinese government for Americans’ data.
Would SEA Follow the Ban?
As of the moment, SEA may not go with the flow. Numerous microbusiness owners will be affected as TikTok has become a go-to selling platform, thanks to its strong live-selling feature.
Jianggan Li, CEO of Momentum Works, said that TikTok could deepen its operations in SEA and other friendly regions.
There are over 325 million monthly users in SEA, and 125 million of those are in Indonesia – currently the biggest SEA market and second-largest in the world.
SEA governments may tighten and enforce stricter regulations against TikTok. The platform will likely heed to these to keep its operations in the region.
If these turn out harmoniously, TikTok content creators, influencers, and sellers will carry on as usual.
The second round in the US ban against TikTok will take place in the US Senate. If the bill passes again, the third round will be at the White House.
