What's to stop TikTok from serving their website from non-US servers to all comers? Using it in a browser is not as smooth as an app, but there must be apps out there that are nothing but a WebView to URLs on a single domain (like you can do in Mac Safari with File... Add to Dock...). Submitting / watching videos wouldn't be that different.
It seems to me the only recourse the US would have is building The Great Firewall of America.
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As far as I understand it, they wouldn't be able to advertise with US companies in the US so it's a lot of cost for no benefit. Unless they're hosting all that bandwidth for an altruistic reason..
> it's a lot of cost for no benefit
The argument for TikTok ban is that it's a Chinese propaganda machine.
I don't know whether it is true. But assuming it is, propaganda usually costs money.