After the Supreme Court rejected its attempt to prevent a ban that would force the app to shut down, TikTok warned that it might go black on Sunday.
The impending ban is the outcome of 2024 law that was enacted because to national security concerns and required ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to either sell the well-known short-video app or shut it down in the US on January 19.
Donald Trump, who becomes office on Monday, has stated that he will look for a “political resolution” in the meanwhile.
The topic has been discussed between the president-elect and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
What happens to the app?
TikTok will soon become unusable as new users won’t be able to download it from the Google and Apple app stores, and current users won’t be able to update the app.
Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, is a Chinese app that some of the so-called “TikTok refugees” are using.
This lifestyle social media app has features like live-streaming and shopping in addition to letting users upload brief videos, images, and messages.
1:56
TikTok’s estimated 170 million users in the US will still be able to use the app because it is already downloaded on their phones.
But over time, without software and security updates, the app will become redundant.
At best, a web-based version of the service might be accessible that has fewer features than the app, and even that might not work, experts have said.
Some users could try to access TikTok through virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can conceal the internet protocol, or IP, address of a user and thereby their location.
Content creators who have built businesses from their TikTok followings are preparing for the app’s potential shutdown and redirecting their followers to alternatives such as Instagram and YouTube.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What do the content creators say?
Tiffany Cianci told the Associated Press the proposed ban shows “our elected officials failed the American people in failing to learn what TikTok actually meant to the American population”.
“In reality, it’s an ecosystem that has created a huge portion of the American economy.
“It’s created a place where seven million small businesses thrive in ways that they’re not able to thrive in any other economic social media system in the United States.”
Influencer and creator Janette Ok said the platform helped her make brand deals and promote her music – bringing “opportunities that I never believed I could experience in my lifetime”.
“It’s a beautiful app, it’s brought so many people together, it’s changed a lot of people’s lives, and for it to just be taken away like that feels… so not American,” she said.
What will advertisers do?
Advertisers have rushed to prepare contingency plans as the ban will jeopardise their campaigns on the platforms.
TikTok has continued to pitch advertisers on new features, like a tool launching in test form that would make it easier to create, modify and add advertisements in bulk.
If a ban does occur, more than $11bn in annual US ad investment would be up for grabs.
What happens to US-China relations?
A ban could worsen trade tensions between the US and China that were already strained after export curbs on advanced American semiconductor technology to Beijing.
Mr Trump could try to use an executive action to protect TikTok for his four years in office, but he could use the risk of him changing his position to extract something meaningful from China, according to analysts at LightShed Partners.
What impact could a ban have on UK users?
There is no suggestion that a US ban would directly affect users in the UK, where technology is regulated by British legislation. However, UK TikTokers, who create content on social media for a living, have expressed fears over how the proposed ban might impact their viewership and incomes.
Aidan Halling, also known by his handle @etherealgames on TikTok, creates comedy skits on gaming for his 30,000 followers, and is concerned his income may take a hit as the ban could force him to ditch the app.
“A lot of creators rely on this app for a living, and it’s about to be pulled away from under them,” he told PA news.
“This ban could potentially force me to pivot to different content or stop posting all together. While 15% of my followers are American, around 40% of initial video views are from the US.”
