How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat

By DAVID HAMILTON
AP Technology Reporter

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form? The Chinese social video app merged in 2017 with the competing app Musical.ly, which also launched in China. That kicked off a remarkable seven years during which TikTok grew from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter, but also emerged as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.