How three tiktok celebrities thwarted the US ban: not by chance

拥有230万粉丝的tiktok主播Cosette rinab加入诉讼，指控美国政府非法使用tiktok

Cosette rinab, a tiktok anchor with 2.3 million fans, joined a lawsuit accusing the U.S. government of illegal use of tiktok

9月初，一群20出头的网络名人聚集在热门短视频平台tiktok上，讨论一个重大问题：他们是否应该与美国政府正面竞争？

At the beginning of September, a group of Internet Celebrities in their early 20s on tiktok, a popular short video platform, gathered to discuss a major issue: should they compete head-on with the U.S. government?

经过多次讨论，23岁的新泽西喜剧演员道格·马兰（Doug MARLAND）举手加入反对特朗普政府禁止蒂克托克的行列。他的另外两位战友是音乐家亚历克·钱伯斯和时装设计师珂赛特·里纳布，他们也自愿提起诉讼。

After much discussion, Doug MARLAND, a 23-year-old comedian from New Jersey, raised his hand to join the opposition to the trump administration's ban on tiktok. His other two comrades in arms were musician Alec chambers and fashion designer Cosette rinab, who also voluntarily filed lawsuits.

三位网络名人在tiktok上的粉丝总数是740万，他们都是靠这个应用来谋生的。诉讼称，蒂克托克禁令不仅意味着他们失去了收入来源，也限制了他们表达自己的能力。

The total number of fans on tiktok of the three online celebrities is 7.4 million, and they all depend on the application to make a living. The tiktok ban not only means they lose their source of income, but also limits their ability to express themselves, the lawsuit said.

当三人向宾夕法尼亚州法院提起诉讼时，几乎没有人注意到，但蒂克托克的受欢迎主播终于占了上风。本案已逐渐成为tiktok应用能否在美国市场维持运营的关键。目前，近三分之一的美国人使用tiktok。

Little attention was paid when the trio filed a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania court, but tiktok's popular anchor finally gained the upper hand. This case has gradually become the key to whether tiktok application can maintain operation in the U.S. market. At present, nearly a third of Americans use tiktok.

这场诉讼看起来像是一场草根行动，但事实并非如此。据知情人士透露，这起法律行动是由tiktok及其母公司byte beat精心策划的。知情人士透露，蒂克托克已安排这些有影响力的网络名人作为原告，帮助他们与一位专门研究《第一修正案》的顶级律师联系，并帮助制定法律策略，协助蒂克托克以自己的名义提起另一宗诉讼。

The lawsuit looks like a grassroots action, but it's not. According to people familiar with the matter, the legal action was carefully planned by tiktok and its parent company byte beat. Tiktok has arranged these influential internet celebrities as plaintiffs, helping them connect with a top lawyer specializing in the first amendment and helping develop legal strategies to assist tiktok in another lawsuit filed in his own name, people familiar with the matter said.

这是这个夏天开始的传奇故事的一个意外转折。目前，有关甲骨文和沃尔玛收购蒂克托克股份的初步协议的谈判仍在继续。据知情人士透露，Byte hop和潜在的美国合作伙伴对在未来几周内完成交易持乐观态度。周三，特朗普政府将跳过字节完成交易的最后期限延长了一周，新的截止日期定在12月4日。

It's an unexpected turn in the saga that began this summer. Currently, negotiations are continuing on a preliminary agreement involving Oracle and Wal Mart's acquisition of tiktok shares. Byte hop and potential U.S. partners are optimistic about completing the deal in the next few weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. On Wednesday, the trump administration extended the deadline for byte skipping to complete the transaction by one week, and the new deadline was set on December 4.

法庭叫停了

The court called a halt

今年8月，特朗普总统签署命令，关闭tiktok应用程序，或将其出售给一家美国公司。特朗普政府声称担心跳过字节泄露有关美国用户的信息，但该公司表示永远不会这样做。

In August, President trump signed an order to shut down the tiktok app or sell it to an American company. The trump administration claims to be worried about byte skipping leaking information about U.S. users, but the company said it would never do so.

第一个对提克托克有利的裁决是在提克托克自己的诉讼中作出的。Tiktok在诉讼中说，美国商务部最初禁止下载或更新Tiktok应用程序将损害该公司的业务。9月27日，华盛顿特区联邦地方法院法官卡尔·尼科尔斯（Carl Nichols）裁定，美国政府此举可能超出了国家安全法的限制。特朗普政府立即对法院裁决提出上诉，案件仍在审理中。

The first ruling in tiktok's favor was made in tiktok's own suit. Tiktok said in the lawsuit that the U.S. Department of Commerce's initial ban on downloading or updating the tiktok app would damage the company's business. On September 27th, judge Carl Nichols of the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the U.S. government's move may be beyond the limits of its national security law. The trump administration immediately appealed the court's ruling, and the case is still under trial.

亚历克钱伯斯，谁有超过200万提克托克球迷，去年在纽约演出

Alec chambers, who has more than two million tiktok fans, performed in New York last year

10月30日，宾夕法尼亚州东区法院法官温迪·甲虫斯通暂停了美国商务部对蒂克托克的限制。此前，美国商务部禁止美国公司在应用程序商店上市tiktok，此举将有效地使tiktok在美国市场上无法上市。

On October 30, judge Wendy beetlestone of the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania suspended the U.S. Department of Commerce's restrictions on tiktok. Previously, the U.S. Department of Commerce banned U.S. companies from listing tiktoks in app stores, a move that would effectively make tiktok unavailable in the U.S. market.

"如果tiktok应用程序不可用，原告将无法接触到tiktok提供的所有粉丝和就业机会，"法官beatlestone在裁决书中写道。

"If the tiktok app is not available, the plaintiff will not have access to all fans and the employment opportunities offered by tiktok," judge beatlestone wrote in her ruling.

美国政府已对裁决提出上诉。政府表示，原告的说法毫无根据，并辩称，他们要求阻止禁令"将不可避免地侵犯总统在国家安全紧急状态下阻止企业与外国实体进行经济交易的权力"

The US government has appealed the ruling. The government said the plaintiffs' claims were unfounded and argued that their request to block the ban "would inevitably infringe on the president's power to prevent businesses from engaging in economic transactions with foreign entities in a state of national security emergency."

"我们支持我们的社区，因为他们分享他们的心声，我们致力于为他们提供一个家，"tiktok的临时主管Vanessa Pappas在一份声明中说

"We support our community because they share their voices and we are committed to providing them with a home," Vanessa Pappas, tiktok's interim head, said in a statement

蒂克托克公司临时负责人瓦内萨·帕帕斯（Vanessa Pappas）目前在该公司位于加利福尼亚州卡尔弗市的办公室

Vanessa Pappas, interim head of tiktok, is in the company's office in Culver City, California

知情人士表示，近几个月字节跳转的目标之一是推迟特朗普政府的攻击，押注随着大选临近，事件中的主要官员可能会越来越分心。

People familiar with the matter said that one of the goals of byte hopping in recent months has been to delay the trump administration's attack, betting that key officials in the incident could become increasingly distracted as the election approaches.

美国政府对蒂克托克的审查始于美国外国投资委员会。美国外国投资委员会负责审查各种交易是否存在国家安全风险。由于担心用户数据可能被泄露，委员会已下令跳过字节（byte skiping）剥离其在美国的tiktok业务。字节跳出意味着它从不泄露数据。

The U.S. government's review of tiktok began with the Committee on foreign investment in the United States. The Committee on foreign investment of the United States is responsible for examining whether there are national security risks in various transactions. The Committee has ordered byte skipping to spin off its tiktok business in the US because of concerns about possible disclosure of user data. A byte bounce means that it never divulges data.

这起诉讼旨在削弱特朗普政府更具惩罚性的措施，同时也寻求达成符合CFIUS指令的交易。这项指令在华盛顿也得到了两党的支持，但任何协议最终都需要美国总统签署

The lawsuit is aimed at weakening the trump administration's more punitive measures, while also seeking a deal that meets CFIUS directives. The directive also has bipartisan support in Washington, but any agreement eventually needs to be signed by the president of the United States

尽管候任总统拜登没有明确表态，但新一届政府很可能会保留美国外国投资委员会（Cfius）剥离蒂克托克的命令。

Although President-elect Biden has not made clear his position on tiktok, the new administration is likely to retain the Cfius order to divest tiktok.

目前，美国政府似乎没有时间考虑全面禁止蒂克托克。11月12日，美国商务部援引蒂克托克网络名人诉讼案的裁决，表示不会执行强制蒂克托克关闭的命令，而美国政府的法律选择正在减少。

For now, the U.S. government seems to have no time to consider a total ban on tiktok. On November 12, the U.S. Department of Commerce, citing the ruling in the tiktok online celebrity lawsuit, said it would not implement an order that would force tiktok to close down, while the U.S. government's legal options were diminishing.

一位美国政府高级官员说："由于这些诉讼，目前的局势非常混乱。"。

"Because of these lawsuits, the situation is very chaotic at the moment," said a senior U.S. government official.

推进交易

Push the deal forward

21岁的里纳布是南加州大学的大四学生。她说当她听说法庭赢了，她哭了。"我太高兴了，"她说。

Rinab, 21, is a senior at the University of Southern California. She said she cried when she heard that the court had won. "I'm so happy," she said.

"我永远不会忘记整个经历，"马兰说它教会了我很多关于这个国家、法律如何运作以及法庭程序如何运作的知识。"

"I'll never forget the whole experience," says Malan. "It taught me a lot about the country, how the law works, and how court procedures work."

尽管托克将积极配合国家安全局提出的交易，它也可能会与国家安全局积极抵制。这项协议将解决美国政府对数据安全的担忧。

Although tok will actively cooperate with the National Security Agency on the proposed deal, it may also enter into an active boycott with the national security agency. The deal will address U.S. government concerns about data security.

9月中旬，tiktok宣布选择甲骨文作为其美国数据安全合作伙伴，这家软件巨头和沃尔玛收购了一家新公司的股权，该公司将负责tiktok在美国的业务。

In mid September, tiktok announced its choice of Oracle as its U.S. data security partner, and the software giant and Wal Mart acquired equity in a new company that will run tiktok's U.S. operations.

据知情人士和内部人士透露，字节抖动和美国新投资者持股规模是有待讨论的关键问题。

According to people familiar with the discussion and internal thinking, byte jitter and the size of the new US investor's stake are key issues that remain to be discussed.

据知情人士透露，相应的谈判有助于沃尔玛与蒂克托克建立更紧密的关系，这从一开始到现在一直激励着沃尔玛。一些知情人士透露，沃尔玛正与tiktok合作，通过该应用为销售提供仓储和配送支持。沃尔玛首席执行官道格•麦克米伦（Doug mcmillon）目前与蒂克托克（tiktok）高管有各种接触。

According to people familiar with the matter, the corresponding negotiations have helped Wal Mart build a closer relationship with tiktok, which has inspired Wal Mart from the beginning to the present. Wal Mart is working with tiktok to provide warehousing and delivery support for sales through the app, some people familiar with the matter said. Doug mcmillon, Wal Mart's chief executive, currently has various contacts with tiktok executives.

一位知情人士说，甲骨文高管预计交易将在今年年底完成。他们认为蒂克托克是甲骨文云业务的主要客户。

Oracle executives expect the deal to be completed by the end of the year, a person familiar with the matter said. They see tiktok as a major customer of Oracle's cloud business.

字节跳转继续起诉美国政府，部分原因是为了确保tiktok应用程序在谈判期间不会陷入封闭状态。

Byte skipping continues to sue the U.S. government in part to ensure that the tiktok app doesn't run into a closed position during the negotiations.

这名美国政府高级官员说，虽然特朗普的注意力已经转移，但他仍然希望彻底剥离蒂克托克在美国的业务。这位高级官员说，尽管特朗普最初批准了这项交易，但他从未完全接受这一想法。

The senior U.S. government official said that although Trump's attention has shifted, he still wants to completely divest tiktok's U.S. business. Although trump initially approved the deal, he never fully accepted the idea, the senior official said.

在特朗普政府内部，财政部长史蒂文·姆努钦、司法部长威廉·巴尔和白宫经济顾问拉里·库德洛在各种会议上不时表示，他们认为可以达成协议，而白宫顾问彼得·纳瓦罗则建议特朗普避免让蒂克托克达成协议。

Within the trump administration, Treasury Secretary Steven mnuchin, Attorney General William Barr, and White House economic adviser Larry kudlow said from time to time at various meetings that they believed an agreement could be reached, while White House adviser Peter Navarro advised trump to avoid letting tiktok strike a deal.

特朗普和他身后的白宫顾问彼得·纳瓦罗

Trump and his White House adviser, Peter Navarro, who was behind him

知情人士称，蒂克托克认为，该公司可能仍需剥离美国业务，否则将面临对其在美国数据处理方式的持续质疑。

Tiktok believes it may still need to spin off its U.S. business, or face continued questioning about its approach to data processing in the US, according to people familiar with the matter.

草根行动

grassroots activism

三位网络名人提起诉讼的部分目的是让tiktok更容易引起人们的注意。在2018年的《我和他的父母的地下室》中，他的音乐人和他的粉丝们一起在2018年的《我的地下室》的应用程序中赢得了他的支持。

Part of the purpose of the lawsuit filed by three Internet Celebrities is to make tiktok easier to get people's attention. Musician chambers joined the tiktok app at the end of 2018 to cover and record Hirsch's without me in his parents' basement, which won him thousands of fans in the early days.

现在，超过200万的tiktok用户关注他的视频，其中许多是原创音乐或流行电台歌曲的封面。这位来自康涅狄格州的25岁年轻人获得了一份代言合同，为益达口香糖和肉桂吐司脆皮麦片等产品做广告。

Now, more than two million tiktok users pay attention to his videos, many of which are original music or covers of popular radio songs. The 25-year-old from Connecticut has been awarded a endorsement contract to advertise products such as Yida gum and cinnamon toast crispy cereal.

他说："蒂克托克让像我这样的普通孩子在音乐上有所作为。"。像我这样的人钱不多，也不可能把行业里的高级人才联系起来。"我需要战斗。"

"Tiktok allows ordinary kids like me to make a difference in music," he said. People like me don't have much money, and it's impossible to hook up senior people in the industry. " "I feel like I need to fight for tiktok."

喜剧演员马兰说，他用同样的方式积累了足够多的tiktok粉丝，所以他辞去了餐馆服务员的工作，然后辍学了。现在，他拥有300万粉丝，并得到了施立克、锐步等知名品牌的赞助。

Comedian Malan said he had accumulated enough tiktok fans in the same way, so he quit his job as a restaurant attendant and then dropped out of school. Now, he has 3 million fans and is sponsored by famous brands such as Schlicker and Reebok.

据知情人士透露，整个夏天，随着tiktok应用程序受到的威胁加剧，高管们一直与网络名人保持密切联系。Tiktok的高管向他们保证，该公司计划确保其在美国市场的持续存在，并防止网络名人转向竞争平台。知情人士说，作为这些联系的一部分，该公司强调网络名人有权维护自己的权利。

According to people familiar with the matter, executives have been in close contact with internet celebrities throughout the summer as the threat to tiktok's app has intensified. Tiktok executives assured them that the company had plans to ensure its continued presence in the U.S. market and to prevent online celebrities from turning to competitive platforms. As part of these connections, the company stressed that online celebrities have the right to defend their rights, people familiar with the matter said.

今年9月，蒂克托克召集了这些优秀的网络名人，讨论了美国政府面临的威胁和可能的对策。据参加电话会议的一位消息人士透露，网络名人回答了有关tiktok如何影响他们生活的问题。最终，钱伯斯、马兰和里纳布自愿成为原告。

In September of this year, tiktok brought together these excellent Internet celebrities to discuss the threat of the U.S. government and possible countermeasures. According to a source attending the conference call, Internet Celebrities answered questions about how tiktok affects their lives. In the end, chambers, Malan and rinab volunteered to become plaintiffs.

里纳布和马兰以前在行业活动中见过面，对钱伯斯的工作很熟悉。9月初，三人开始每天交换诉讼信息。

Rinab and Malan have met at industry events before and are familiar with chambers' work. In early September, the three began to exchange information about the lawsuit every day.

蒂克托克的律师安比卡·库马尔·多兰（Ambika Kumar Doran）说，她觉得这三人有充分的理由提起诉讼，因为她还认为特朗普政府权力过大。她还意识到，网络名人可能会发现与美国政府正面交锋令人望而生畏。

Ambika Kumar Doran, tiktok's lawyer for them, said she felt the three had a good reason to file a lawsuit because she also believed that the trump administration had too much power. She also realizes that online celebrities may find it daunting to engage in a head-on confrontation with the U.S. government.

"无论出于何种原因，美国政府关闭整个平台都是史无前例的，"多兰拒绝讨论诉讼是如何进行的，也拒绝透露资金来源。

"It's unprecedented for the U.S. government to shut down the entire platform for whatever reason," Dolan declined to discuss how the lawsuit was conducted or to disclose the source of funding.

她于9月18日代表三人提起诉讼，两天前美国商务部初步决定禁止下载tiktok。在蒂克托克本人提起的另一项诉讼中，法官在禁令生效前几小时停止了诉讼。

She filed a lawsuit on behalf of the three on September 18, two days before the U.S. Department of Commerce initially decided to ban downloading tiktok. In another lawsuit filed by tiktok himself, the judge stopped the action hours before the ban came into effect.

原告说，整个10月份，他们等待庭审的压力最大。几天来，马兰继续浏览新闻和个人社交媒体，希望能听到一个能拯救蒂克托克的交易。

The plaintiffs said the pressure was greatest throughout October as they waited for the court hearing. For a few days, Malan continued to brush up on news and personal social media, hoping to hear about a deal that would save tiktok.

"我永远不会忘记整个经历，"道格·马兰说

"I'll never forget the whole experience," says Doug MARLAND

Rinab经常在tiktok上发布关于时尚和生活方式的帖子，她说她每次视频代言的收入在5000到10000美元之间。她听到其他网络名人在讨论是否要切换到YouTube等其他平台。

Rinab, who often posts on tiktok about fashion and lifestyle, said she earned between $5000 and $10000 per video endorsement. She heard other Internet Celebrities discussing whether to switch to other platforms such as YouTube.

10月28日，里纳布把笔记本电脑忘在厨房里，喝了一杯咖啡，穿上正式衬衫和睡衣，通过视频会议坐下来参加庭审。她和马兰回答了他们的律师提出的一系列关于蒂克托克如何运作的问题。两天后，原告站在了法官一边。

On October 28, rinab left his laptop in the kitchen, took a cup of coffee, wore a formal shirt and pajamas, and sat down to attend a court hearing through a video conference. She and Malan answered a series of questions from their lawyers about how tiktok works. Two days later, judge beatlestone sided with the plaintiff.

多兰发短信给你，"我们刚刚赢了。请检查您的电子邮件。"

Doran texted you, "we just won. Please check your email."

"真的，里纳布太激动了，手机掉了，忍不住打电话来。（焦寒）

"Really Rinab was so excited that his cell phone dropped and he couldn't help calling. (Jiao Han)

《硅谷科技深度调查》系列报道是《硅谷深度调查报告》的集锦。旨在为科技信息爱好者提供具有最深刻思想的高质量文章。

"Silicon Valley cover" series is a collection of interviews, research reports and in-depth surveys of big companies in the technology circle. It aims to provide high-quality articles with the most profound thinking for science and technology information enthusiasts.

Link：https://new.qq.com/omn/20201130/20201130A08PJT00.html

update time：2020-12-01 14:48:12