TikTok is to be banned within the US from Sunday if it isn’t offered by its Chinese language dad or mum firm, the Supreme Court docket has dominated.
Nevertheless, President Joe Biden has stated he won’t implement the ban for the few remaining hours he’s in workplace, leaving it as much as Donald Trump to resolve what to do when he enters the White Home on Monday.
After the Supreme Court docket ruling, the place the judges voted 9-0 in favour of the ban, the White Home launched a press release saying TikTok ought to stay out there to Individuals.
“TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” the White Home stated in a press release.
Evaluation: America flinches as TikTok prepares to ‘go darkish’ – will Trump save the day?
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Why is TikTok getting banned within the US?
The US’s high judges had been deciding whether or not to overturn the ban after listening to appeals from TikTok creators and its attorneys.
US officers banned the app over considerations its dad or mum firm may give information on Americans to the Chinese language authorities. TikTok’s homeowners Bytedance have repeatedly stated they will not promote the social media platform.
President-elect Donald Trump additionally tried to get the ban delayed, so he may decide on it as soon as he was in workplace.
Nevertheless, the Supreme Court docket has determined to stay with the unique ban.
Now, in the future earlier than Mr Trump returns to the White Home, the social media app utilized by 170 million Individuals might be banned.
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File pic: Reuters
What occurs on Sunday?
On Sunday, a couple of issues may occur, particularly now President Biden has stated he won’t implement the ban.
There might be a fast beheading, with TikTok itself because the executioner.
There are studies the corporate will pull the plug for US customers. Once they try to open the app, individuals will see a pop-up message directing them to a web site with details about the ban, Reuters is reporting.
At a Supreme Court docket listening to final week, TikTok’s lawyer stated the app would “go dark” within the US if the ban got here into drive.
Though there are quite a lot of American TikTok customers, greater than 1.5 billion individuals use TikTok worldwide, so the corporate may nicely resolve it may handle with out its US influencers.
If Mr Trump decides to implement the ban, there might be a sluggish, painful demise for TikTok within the US, the place firms together with Apple and Google take it off their app shops.
That can imply no new customers can obtain the app and there will not be any updates.
The app will slowly get clunkier and buggier and US creators will begin to disappear.
Or, the president-elect will work out a manner of stopping the ban coming into drive.
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Pic: Reuters
Will Donald Trump save US TikTok?
Mr Trump will get into the White Home the day after the ban begins.
He’s now an enormous fan of TikTok with greater than 14.8 million followers. He even credited the app with serving to him win again the presidency.
He might attempt to undermine the ban, however he doesn’t have the ability to overturn it.
He may, nonetheless, say he will not implement it, and promise app retailer hosts resembling Apple and Google they won’t be prosecuted in the event that they hold the app on their platforms.
Whether or not these main firms will need to take the danger of ignoring a authorized ban is up for debate, nonetheless.
After the Supreme Court docket’s choice, Mr Trump stated he would decide rapidly on how one can take care of TikTok however he “must have time to review the situation”.
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Devotees of TikTok collect in Washington because the ban was handed in 2024. File pic: AP
What is occurring to US TikTok customers?
US TikTokers have already began emigrate, with many heading to the Chinese language social media app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, which topped the US App Retailer this week.
In simply two days, greater than 700,000 new customers joined Xiaohongshu, in response to Reuters.
“They’re rebellious, they’re going to go on a very Chinese application, not just TikTok, an entirely Chinese ecosystem.”
For the customers not heading to RedNote, the extra conventional apps are ready within the wings.
He stated: “Because Meta had its Reels project ready and Alphabet had Shorts in YouTube, the vast majority of the activity on TikTok just gravitated towards those two platforms.”
When the ban was being mentioned final yr, Mr Trump stated certainly one of his points was that the ban would ship extra individuals to Mark Zuckerberg’s apps.
“Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people,” he stated in March 2024.
