The Lemon8 app has recently been ranked second in the US download charts of the Apple App Store – it is a direct offshoot of the social media app TikTok, which is about to be banned in the USA.
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Lemon8 was also developed by Chinese company ByteDance and uses the same algorithm as TikTok. The user interface and functionality is also similar to the original: there is a “For You” homepage on which a large number of short videos are suggested to the user that may be potentially interesting. However, there are also features that are reminiscent of Instagram or Pinterest, such as the ability to edit and share images or create collages.
Federal government: Breaking coalition moves digital policy forwardSwitching to Lemon8 is easy
However, the many new Lemon8 users are no coincidence. Keeping the ban in mind, ByteDance is apparently allowing TikTok and Lemon8 to grow together by giving TikTok users the opportunity to transfer their accounts, including followers, to Lemon8 if they log in with their TikTok user data. according to that forbes magazine Prominent TikTok users with a lot of reach are apparently calling for people to switch to Lemon8 or be active there. In at least one case, such a call was sponsored, although it is not clear by whom, according to Forbes.
The bigger hope is that the alternative platform will remain available even after January 19, when the ban may come into effect. However, representatives of the US government deny this. Christopher Krepich, communications director for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, told Forbes magazine that Lemon8 would also be affected by the ban. At a congressional hearing in March, Republican US Congresswoman Cathy McMorris pointedly described TikTok and video editing app CapCut as a threat of “foreign interference and manipulation.” CapCut also belongs to ByteDance.
The ban is getting closer
Under the law, which took effect in April, the video app must change hands by January 19. Otherwise it should be banned from the App Store in the United States and lose access to the infrastructure.
At the request of the forum, the Supreme Court wants to take a closer look at the case. The hearing is to be held on January 10. The judge wants to examine the question of whether the law on ownership change violates the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression.
President Joe Biden could extend the deadline for TikTok for another three months — but only if sale talks are promising. TikTok has so far refused to even consider changing ownership. The app claims to have 170 million users in the US. America’s next elected President Donald Trump has appealed in the Supreme Court against the TikTok ban. In his first term in office, he was unsuccessful despite the ban, but he partly credits the app for his success in the last US elections.
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The US has blacklisted Tencent as a “Chinese military company”.
