The Tik Tok ban and shutdown marked a historical event on the internet since the Wikileaks ban. The popular social media platform was banned due to unverified claims that it was collecting US citizens data for the Chinese government. Although the platform is now back, the ban demonstrates the fragility of building digital platforms as commercial entities.
The platform was no small player in the digital ecosystem. At the time of being banned it boasted 170 million users in the US and billions around the world and yet on the 19th January it disappeared without a trace (in the US). It was an economic enabler for content creators. Young people relied on the platform to access information. The value of this platform is not debatable. How was it possible for it to be removed in the US?
A legal instrument was used, whichever entity was hosting the platform removed it on its servers and more importantly it was removed from the App store (Apple owned) and Play store (Google/Alphabet owned).
The manner in which this platform was temporarily removed indicates how any other app could be deactivated.
Although Tik Tok has been reinstated under conditions, its removal should serve as a lesson. As part of creating a platform, it’s not enough to create only digital presence. Creators of digital platforms ought to consider other forms of existence that go beyond the app stores. The existence of digital platforms has to be done in parallel with the physical existence. The existence of a digital business in tangible form is a moat that can never be touched. A digital entity that develops a physical community can exist beyond the destruction of its digital presence. This is even more important in the age of AI. Businesses are now trying to find their form of existence in the AI realm. Many forget that AI presence if not built by the business creates a dependency situation. Most businesses that are moving towards AI are building their businesses on top of AI foundations that are built by others.
In the same way that the apps economy is dependent on the two app stores, AI is also dominated by major handful of tech giants. As leaders reflect on how they will build they need to understand that building digital only businesses is equivalent to building on shaky grounds.
The Tik Tok ban will change how digital platforms are perceived. In the past they were highly valued and considered safe bets. What has just happened to TikTok may have shaken the strong belief in the strength of digital platforms. This situation does also call for an independence of the app ecosystem. The fact that major entities, Apple and Google, dominate app stores creates vulnerability for others. App stores should be independent of national and commercial interests. An effort towards creating a global app store that is free from any government interference ought to be the next logical step by global leaders.
For now it’s TikTok tomorrow it will be another platform built outside of the US. Although splinternet (fragmentation of the internet) is not ideal, l such developments create a world that embraces divisions in the digital sphere. A global digital infrastructure is needed if we are to build unshakable digital platforms that are not vulnerable to political winds.
Wikileaks suffered and TikTok became another victim. Who will else will suffer from powerful entities of the world?
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