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TikTok Live ban: The app gives its 170 million US users an ultimatum to go dark on Sunday


US TikTok ban: When will the Chinese-owned social media app be banned?

The fate of 170 million TikTok users now rests in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld a law requiring that TikTok be sold to an American company or be banned by Sunday, January 19.

But the White House said it would not implement the law since Trump took office the next day, leaving it up to the next president.

Trump has promised to “save” TikTok — though it’s unclear how he plans to do so.

A law passed by Congress last year would require TikTok to divest its parent company, ByteDance, because of its close ties to the Chinese government. Lawmakers worry that China, a foreign adversary, could access Americans’ data and disrupt their privacy.

TikTok asked the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that the move violated the First Amendment. The court disagreed.

While the law only requires TikTok to be removed from the Google and Apple app stores, TikTok has indicated that it will take itself completely offline. Although without an enforcement mechanism, it is unclear whether this will still happen.

TikTok alternative Lemon8 may become more popular, but it may face a ban

More and more TikTok users are turning to the company’s alternative social media app, Lemon8. This Instagram-meets-Pinterest lifestyle app is heavily promoted by parent company ByteDance.

Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 18, 2025 at 4:00 p.m

TikTok warns it will go dark in the US as shutdown approaches

TikTok said it should “go dark” in the US this weekend unless the Biden administration assures the company it won’t shut down the popular app.

On Friday, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a federal law banning the app unless it is sold by its China-based parent company.

The Supreme Court ruled that the national security risk posed by TikTok’s ties to China outweighed concerns about restricting speech for the app or its 170 million users in the United States.

TikTok will go dark in the US unless the government backs off the controversial app
TikTok will go dark in the US unless the government backs off the controversial app (Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed he can negotiate a solution, while President Joe Biden’s administration has indicated it will withdraw the legislation — which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support — starting Sunday, his last full day in office. , will not execute.

White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said in a statement: “TikTok should remain available to Americans, but only under American ownership or “Another provision that addresses national security concerns identified by Congress in enacting this Act.” The law will be the responsibility of the new government.

TikTok released a statement late Friday saying, “The statements issued today by the White House and the Department of Justice fail to provide the clarity and assurance needed by service providers to keep TikTok available to more than 170 million Americans.” »

“Unless the Biden administration immediately makes a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers and ensure that this is not implemented, TikTok will unfortunately be forced to go dark on January 19,” it said.

Mark ShermanJanuary 18, 2025 at 3:00 p.m

TikTok issues an ultimatum to “go dark” on Sunday for its 170 million US users.

Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 18, 2025 14:35

How did TikTok become the most controversial app in the world?

It is worth noting why TikTok became so popular and politically controversial.

After amassing more than 170 million users in the country in less than seven years, TikTok is now facing a total ban in the United States.

Anthony Cuthbertson writes that various federal and state bans on TikTok are already in place in the US, with lawmakers citing national security concerns.

These fears have not stopped TikTok from growing in the US.

The app is one of the most popular in America and the world, with 52 million downloads in the US and 733 million times worldwide last year – despite more than 3 billion people worldwide being blocked from downloading it.

Anthony CuthbertsonJanuary 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m

UK content creators call US ban ‘deeply unfair’

British content creators have called a potential ban on TikTok in the US “deeply unfair” and said it could affect people’s incomes.

The future of the short-form video program remains uncertain as a ban looms, but the incoming administration of Donald Trump has hinted at keeping it online.

Aidan Halling, also known by his TikTok handle @etherealgames, creates in-game comedy videos for his 30,000 followers and is worried his income will suffer as the ban could force him to quit the app.

British Tiktoker Tom Pratt is concerned that if US users are banned from using the platform, the app will struggle to continue.
British Tiktoker Tom Pratt is concerned that if US users are banned from using the platform, the app will struggle to continue. (Tom Pratt / PA)

“Many builders rely on this program to make a living, and this program is about to be eliminated,” he told the PA news agency.

“This ban could potentially force me to switch to different content or not post all together.

“While 15% of my followers are American, about 40% of the video’s initial views are from the United States.”

He fears a UK ban could also happen, worrying about the “uncertainty of a stable social media platform”.

Tom Pratt, 23, a TikToker from London who interacts online with users — mostly Americans — by asking them geographic trivia, worries that the app will struggle to continue operating if American users are banned from the platform. be faced

Sarah PingJanuary 18, 2025 at 13:00

Oracle could dictate TikTok’s future, report says

Oracle's headquarters are seen in Austin, Texas last April. Oracle is one of the leading providers of TikTok servers
Oracle’s headquarters are seen in Austin, Texas last April. Oracle is one of the leading providers of TikTok servers (Getty Images)

According to a report that has been published, the technology company Oracle could determine the near future of TikTok The New York Times. The company is one of the leading application server providers.

Bob O’Donnell, founder of market research firm TECHnalysis Research, told the publication: “It could become a digital barrier that prevents people from accessing content if they decide to shut it down, which is uncertain. ”

Oracle did not immediately respond Independent’s Request an opinion

Andrew GeorgesonJanuary 18, 2025 at 12:00

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ: “I want ByteDance to know it’s time to sell TikTok.”

Julia Musto18 January 2025 11:01

Republican Senator Pete Ricketts blames the Chinese Communist Party for TikTok

Julia MustoJanuary 18, 2025 09:00

Rep. Gallagher talks TikTok decision: Trump administration has chance for ‘deal of the century’

Representative Mike Gallagher, Republican of Wisconsin, speaks during a news conference in May 2018 in Washington, D.C. Gallagher says if TikTok
Speaking at a May 2018 news conference in Washington, D.C., Rep. Mike Gallagher, Republican of Wisconsin, said that if TikTok “goes dark,” Chinese parent company ByteDance has “no one to blame but itself.” (Getty Images)

Julia MustoJanuary 18, 2025 08:01

Kentucky Republicans are speaking out against a possible TikTok ban

Julia MustoJanuary 18, 2025 07:00

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