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TikTok is just days from being banned in the US over security concerns.
The app is preparing to go offline on Sunday, in line with a federal ban.
It comes after president Joe Biden ordered parent company ByteDance to sell its US operations by 19 January or be banned. ByteDance has made no public effort to find a buyer, and so the ban looks set to go into effect.
The US Supreme Court could repeal the ban – but appears unlikely to, despite some pressure from politicians including president-elect Donald Trump.
The ban only requires TikTok to be removed from app stores, leaving open the possibility that it will keep working for those who have already downloaded it. But reports suggest that TikTok is planning to shut itself down totally on Sunday.
Could Mr Beast buy TikTok?
At first, it seemed like a joke (just like when he suggested he suggested he might run to be president).
But now it’s sounding slightly less like a joke…
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:49
What is Lemon8? The TikTok alternative gaining popularity that may also face a ban
Some “TikTok refugees”, as some of those affected by the ban are slightly indulgently calling themselves, are headed to Lemon8, a similar app. But don’t get too attached: it could face a ban of its own.
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:32
Who wins from a TikTok ban?
Here is a great analysis, from tech analyst Gene Munster, of how Meta could win from a TikTok ban. Similar has already happened in some countries, such as India, where TikTok has been banned and its users have moved to Instagram Reels.
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:13
How TikTok became the world’s most controversial app
More than three billion people are already blocked from TikTok, which has faced scrutiny just about everywhere it operates.
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:10
TikTok responds to reports it could be sold to Elon Musk
“Pure fiction”, says parent company ByteDance. (It has also not given any indication it will be sold to anybody else, which is a requirement of the law.)
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:09
Where did the ban come from – and will it stand?
President Joe Biden last April signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by 19 January, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.
Last week, the US Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration comes the day after the law goes into effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political resolution” of the issue.
TikTok and ByteDance have sought, at the very least, a delay in the implementation of the law, which they say violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.
TikTok said in a court filing last month it estimated one-third of the 170 million Americans using its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasted a month.
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:07
TikTok is preparing to shut itself down entirely, sources say
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have the option to stay online for those users who already have the app. But reports suggest that they are preparing to be taken down entirely. Here’s the latest from Reuters:
TikTok plans to shut its app for US users from Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect, unless the Supreme Court moves to block it, people familiar with the matter said.
The outcome of the shutdown would be different from that mandated by the law. The law would mandate a ban only on new TikTokdownloads on Apple or Google app stores, while existing users could continue using it for some time.
Under TikTok‘s plan, people attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, the people said, requesting anonymity as the matter is not public.
The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information, they said.
Shutting down such services does not require longer planning, one of the sources said, noting that most operations have been continuing as usual as of this week. If the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for U.S. users in a relatively short time, the source said.
Andrew Griffin15 January 2025 16:06
