TikTok said it could go dark on Sunday in the United States after the Supreme Court ruled against its attempt to avoid a ban that could shut down the app.
THE impending ban is the end result of legislation passed in 2024 on national security grounds, which called for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the popular short video app or shut it down in the United States on January 19.
In the meantime, Donald Trumpwho takes office Monday, said he would try to find a “political solution.”
The president-elect discussed this issue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Analysis:
America shudders as TikTok prepares to ‘go dark’ – will Trump save the day?
Below you will find answers to some key questions:
What happens to the app?
New users won’t be able to download TikTok from the Apple and Google app stores and existing users won’t be able to update the app, meaning it will soon become impossible to use.
Some of the so-called “TikTok refugees” are turning to a Chinese app called Xiaohongshu – aka RedNote.
It is a lifestyle social media application that allows users to post short videos, photos and texts, and also includes functions such as live streaming and shopping.
Learn more:
What is RedNote?
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How will users be affected?
TikTok’s 170 million users in the United States will still be able to use the app because it’s already downloaded on their phones.
But over time, without software and security updates, the application will become redundant.
At best, a web version of the service could be accessible with fewer features than the app, and even that might not work, experts said.
Some users might try to access TikTok through virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can hide a user’s Internet protocol, or IP, address and therefore their location.
Content creators who have built businesses off their followers on TikTok are bracing for the app’s potential shutdown and redirecting their followers to alternatives like Instagram and YouTube.
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What are content creators saying?
Tiffany Cianci told the Associated Press that the proposed ban shows that “our elected officials have failed the American people by not learning what TikTok really meant to the American people.”
“In reality, it’s an ecosystem that created a large part of the American economy.
“This has created a place where seven million small businesses are thriving in a way that they cannot thrive in any other social media economic system in the United States.”
Influencer and creator Janette Ok said the platform helped her secure brand deals and promote her music, bringing “opportunities I never thought I would experience in my life.”
“It’s a beautiful app, it brought so many people together, it changed a lot of people’s lives, and for it to just be taken away like this seems… really un-American,” she said. declared.
What will advertisers do?
Advertisers rushed to prepare contingency plans because the ban would jeopardize their campaigns on the platforms.
TikTok continued to offer advertisers new features, such as a tool launched as a test that would make it easier to create, edit and add ads in bulk.
If a ban were to occur, more than $11 billion in annual U.S. advertising investment would be up for grabs.
What is happening to US-China relations?
A ban could worsen trade tensions between the United States and China, already tense after restrictions on exports of advanced American semiconductor technology to Beijing.
Mr. Trump could try to use executive action to protect TikTok during his four years in office, but he could use the risk that it changes his position to extract something meaningful from China, according to analysts at LightShed Partners.
How could a ban impact UK users?
There is no indication that a US ban would directly affect users in the UK, where the technology is regulated under UK law. However, British TikTokers, who create content on social media for a living, have expressed fears about the impact of the proposed ban on their audience and income.
Aidan Halling, also known by his handle @etherealgames on TikTok, creates comedy skits about gaming for his 30,000 followers and fears his income will take a hit as the ban could force him to abandon the app.
“Many creators rely on this app to make a living, and it’s about to be taken away from them,” he told PA News.
“This ban could potentially force me to switch to different content or stop posting altogether. While 15% of my subscribers are American, about 40% of initial video views come from the United States.