What will happen to TikTok on Jan. 19
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The future of accessing TikTok in the U.S. will be decided by the Supreme Court any moment now. So far, the justices seem inclined to uphold a bipartisan law that would ban the app as soon as Jan. 19.
Why it matters: The wildly popular short-form video app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, could imminently vanish from Google and Apple app stores. Beyond disappointing devoted users, the move would also disrupt influencers' multibillion-dollar creator economy.
- During oral arguments last week, most of the high court's justices homed in on the central point that under the law, TikTok could continue operating with a different algorithm than ByteDance's. And as a Chinese company, ByteDance lacks First Amendment protections.
- Reuters reports that TikTok plans to shut off its app for U.S. users on Sunday if the Supreme Court upholds the law. If that happens, the app will become instantly useless.
- Users who open the app would reportedly see a pop-up message that directs them to a website with information about the ban.
State of play: Regardless of what TikTok does, the app could also quickly go dark if Oracle decides to immediately stop hosting TikTok's massive video library. A ban could send Oracle's stock plunging since it hosts the company's U.S. data.
- TikTok will also not be accessible from an internet browser in the U.S. unless a user employs a VPN, which encrypts internet traffic and hides the user's IP address. VPNs are easily attainable online, but a user may not be able to download updates if their app store account is tied to the U.S.
Between the lines: If TikTok didn't take action, the app wouldn't instantly disappear from a device where it's already downloaded on Jan. 19. But ByteDance wouldn't be able to issue updates to the app — eventually rendering it useless.
Zoom in: Some TikTok users and creators are already flocking to other social media apps, based on Axios' review of some newly trending apps.
- Lemon8, which has the same owner as TikTok and is being promoted by the company as a potential alternative for users, features a mix of Instagram-like photo sharing and TikTok-style short videos. This app and other ByteDance apps would be part of the ban.
- Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote in English, is a short-form video app that has surged to the first place in the social networking category in the U.S. Apple app store. It also has a mix of video and live-streaming features.
- Other platforms that have similar vertical video features are YouTube with its YouTube Shorts and Instagram with its Reels. Some users have been posting TikTok content to both of these platforms.
By the numbers: TikTok has a stunning 170 million users in the U.S., and just 32% of Americans support a ban, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
The big picture: The push to ban TikTok in the U.S. stems from the "Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," signed into law last April by President Biden.
- The law mandates that ByteDance sell the app by Jan. 19 or face a ban. It gave TikTok up to a year to find an approved buyer for the U.S. version of the app.
- The law stems from the U.S. government's concerns for national security over its ties to China, including the spread of misinformation and espionage.
- ByteDance has contested this law, arguing that forced divestment is unconstitutional and infringes on First Amendment rights.
What's next: The Supreme Court could issue an order at any time.
- President-elect Trump during his first term led initial efforts to ban the app in the U.S. But he's indicated more recently that he's open to trying to save it.
Go deeper: TikTok Supreme Court takeaways
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional developments.
