On Jan. 19, TikTok is set to face a definitive end in the U.S., barring any last-minute intervention. The Supreme Court has upheld a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or cease operations entirely within the country.
In detail. TikTok’s departure won’t be instantaneous for its 170 million U.S. users. Instead, as confirmed by sources at both CNN and NPR, the app will continue to work on devices where users already installed it. Still, the shutdown will happen in stages:
- Removal from app Stores: Apple and Google will be required to take TikTok off their app stores, making it unavailable for new downloads.
- No updates or fixes: With the app gone from stores, users will no longer receive security updates or bug fixes, leading to performance issues over time.
The context. The ban stems from a law signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024, citing national security concerns. The Department of Justice has labeled ByteDance a “profound threat” due to its connections with the Chinese government, as reported by the BBC.
What’s next? There are several possible scenarios for TikTok’s immediate future in the U.S.:
- Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s U.S. user data, could terminate its service abruptly, cutting off access altogether.
- Users may resort to virtual private networks to bypass restrictions, though updates and fixes will remain inaccessible.
- President-elect Donald Trump, set to take office on Jan. 20, has expressed interest in finding a “political solution” to the situation, potentially reversing the ban.
The red flag. According to NPR, TikTok’s decline will be progressive:
- Phase 1: Users encounter glitches and minor issues.
- Phase 2: Compatibility problems emerge with new devices or operating systems.
- Phase 3: The app eventually becomes nonfunctional.
The exact timeline for this process is unclear, ranging from weeks to months.
Adapting to the ban. Some TikTok creators have begun migrating to alternative platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. ByteDance is promoting Lemon8 as a replacement, and RedNote is also gaining traction. However, Axios reports that the ban could extend to these apps if they’re tied to ByteDance.
Xiaohongshu, often referred to as the “Chinese Instagram,” is quietly climbing the app store charts, presenting an unpredictable alternative in the U.S. market.
Image | cottonbro studio
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