- TikTok says it will shut down in the US on January 19
- There is uncertainty about the implementation of a ban
- The US is changing presidents on Monday
By now, you’ve almost certainly heard that TikTok may be getting banned in the US this coming Sunday, January 19th. The latest update today is that the social platform will “go dark” amid uncertainty about what the White House will actually decide. to do.
According to an official TikTok statement, “unless the Biden administration immediately issues a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers ensuring non-enforcement,” the TikTok lights will go out in the US tomorrow.
So will TikTok be banned in the US or not? No one really knows – and that’s the point here. With so much uncertainty about what the incoming US president and the outgoing US president really want, TikTok has had enough.
There’s no doubt more to come here, and it’s likely to be a busy weekend for both TikTok and the US administration. As it stands though, don’t expect to be able to download or even access TikTok from tomorrow if you’re in the US – although with a change at the top of the US government, the blackout may not be permanent.
Pretty complicated story so far
If you’re just getting up to speed on the TikTok ban, it’s been a long road to this point. You may remember that WeChat and TikTok were almost banned from the US back in 2020, during the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency.
The problem has always been the close ties between TikTok, its developer ByteDance and the Chinese government. US officials are concerned that China is using TikTok as a way to influence millions of Americans – or as a full-blown spying tool.
Not true, says TikTok – but the US government is not convinced, even though billions could be lost by companies and creators. The US Supreme Court upheld the original law to either ban or sell TikTok to US interests this weekend, and time is almost up.
In recent days, TikTok boss Shou Chew has taken to the platform to thank President-elect Trump for his support — Trump replaces Joe Biden in the White House on Monday — but the latest TikTok statement suggests that the parties involved will have to to act very quickly indeed to stop a shutdown.
