Algorithms, which are just sets of instructions expressed in code, are harder to restrict than physical goods. But governments, including the U.S., have long tried to prevent their export.

The company has 90 more days to come up with some kind of deal to avoid getting banned from U.S. app stores.

The algorithm behind the app’s success is proprietary and hard to replicate. And Chinese-owned alternatives like RedNote could also be vulnerable to a ban.

TikTok parent company ByteDance is asking the court to halt a law that would require the Chinese company to sell TikTok to a U.S. firm or face a ban.

U.S. lawmakers passed a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban. But it wouldn’t be the first country block the Chinese-owned platform.

A lot of brands don’t seem to have a backup plan, says Jordan Holman of The New York Times. The platform is where “they need to be.”

Efforts to force parent company ByteDance to either divest or sell off the app would likely meet resistance from China.

Canada and the EU, too.

Chinese officials seem to ignore the fact that they put up many obstacles for U.S. tech firms to operate in China.

The wildly popular video-sharing app may be the beginning of a new era in Chinese tech.