In the spring, it looked like TikTok was on the verge of being banned in America. Since then, it’s continued operating business as usual. 

But this week, it was revealed that ByteDance and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States came close to striking a deal that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. The negotiations give a glimpse into how social media—and by extension speech itself—could be regulated on the internet.

Guest:

Emily Baker-White, tech reporter and senior writer at Forbes

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.