The Supreme Court is on the verge of ruling on TikTok’s availability in the U.S. It appears that the justices are likely to maintain a bipartisan law that would effectively ban the app on January 19.
Why it matters: TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is an extremely popular short-form video platform. If banned, it could disappear from Google and Apple app stores, causing disappointment among its devoted users and shaking up a creator economy worth billions of dollars.
During oral arguments last week, most justices focused on a key aspect of the law: TikTok can stay if it uses an algorithm that’s not ByteDance’s. However, because ByteDance is a Chinese firm, it doesn’t have First Amendment protection in the U.S.
State of play:
- If you already have TikTok downloaded, it won’t vanish from your device on January 19. But ByteDance won’t be allowed to provide updates, which will eventually make the app unusable.
- TikTok might go offline faster if Oracle, which hosts the platform’s massive video library, suddenly stops doing so. The ban could also hit Oracle’s stock value since it manages TikTok’s U.S. data.
- You won’t be able to use TikTok in a web browser in the U.S. unless you rely on a VPN, which masks your IP address. Although VPNs are easy to get, you may not be able to update the app if your app store account is registered in the U.S.
Zoom in: Some users and content creators are already checking out other apps, according to Axios’ review of a few newly popular platforms.
- Lemon8 (also owned by ByteDance) is pitched as an alternative to TikTok and blends Instagram-like photo posts with TikTok-style short videos. However, any ByteDance apps, including Lemon8, would be part of the ban.
- Xiaohongshu (known in English as RedNote) is a short-video platform that recently became the top social networking download in the U.S. Apple App Store. It combines video and live-streaming features.
- Other platforms with comparable vertical video options include YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, where some people are already reposting TikTok content.
By the numbers: TikTok has a massive user base of 170 million in the U.S. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center survey shows just 32% of Americans support a ban.
The big picture: The push to ban TikTok in the U.S. stems from the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” signed into law last April by President Biden.
- The law mandates that ByteDance sell the app by Jan. 19 or face a ban. It gave TikTok up to a year to find an approved buyer for the U.S. version of the app.
- The law stems from the U.S. government’s concerns for national security over its ties to China, including the spread of misinformation and espionage.
- ByteDance has contested this law, arguing that forced divestment is unconstitutional and infringes on First Amendment rights.
Controlled Applications Act, which President Biden signed into law last April.
- The act stipulates that ByteDance must sell TikTok by January 19 or face a ban, giving the company up to a year to secure a U.S. buyer approved by regulators.
- Government officials cite national security concerns over TikTok’s Chinese ties, including potential misinformation and spying risks.
- ByteDance opposes the law, saying forced divestment is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.
What’s next: The Supreme Court could issue its decision at any moment.
Interestingly, President-elect Trump first attempted to ban TikTok in the U.S. during his previous term, but he recently hinted he might be willing to keep it going. Let’s see What will Happen To TikTok On Jan 19 USA.
