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A potential TikTok shutdown looms this Sunday as the Supreme Court upheld legislation requiring ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, to sell the platform or face a nationwide ban.
ByteDance remains firm in its stance against selling, despite multiple interested buyers emerging. The implementation timeline remains unclear, with many wondering if the ban will proceed or face reversal.
ByteDance and its Chinese Communist masters had nine months to sell TikTok before the Sunday deadline. The very fact that Communist China refuses to permit its sale reveals exactly what TikTok is: a communist spy app. The Supreme Court correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and…
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) January 17, 2025
Users needn’t worry about immediate app deletion or legal consequences for continued use. According to Justice Department documents, the ban would likely manifest gradually, preventing new downloads, halting updates, and eventually blocking internet providers from hosting the service.
President Biden’s administration has indicated it won’t enforce the ban during his final day in office. “Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
President-elect Trump might preserve TikTok through executive action, despite Congress’s bipartisan support for the ban. His spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated in November that he plans to “deliver” on his campaign pledge to “save TikTok.”
The Growing Concerns Around TikTok in the USA
TikTok has become a dominant platform, but its future in the U.S. faces scrutiny. Policymakers argue that the app, owned by China-based ByteDance, poses significant national security risks, alleging potential data misuse and… pic.twitter.com/obQ6IZ49Rj
— Kusumo Arief Atmojo (@ariefatmojo_) January 18, 2025
Several prominent figures have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, including Frank McCourt, Kevin O’Leary, and Steven Mnuchin. Elon Musk, MrBeast, and Bobby Kotick have also been mentioned as potential buyers.
However, ByteDance’s reluctance to sell, combined with likely Chinese government opposition to transferring TikTok’s algorithm, presents significant obstacles.
Congressional concerns center on national security, suggesting potential data transfers to Chinese officials. ByteDance contests these allegations, maintaining that no evidence exists of Beijing attempting to manipulate or surveil American TikTok users.