TikTok has been involved in a long and complicated fight with the US Congress. Democrats and Republicans see the app, owned by ByteDance, as a threat due to its Chinese ownership. Last year, Congress passed a law that required the app to be sold or for it to shut down in the country. Today, the Supreme Court will reach a decision that will affect all TikTok users in the US, with there being a real possibility of the app getting banned.
Here's what you should know:
When does the ban go into effect?
The TikTok ban would go into effect on January 19.
Will I be able to use TikTok?
If TikTok gets banned and you still have the app on your phone, you should be able to access it. On a short-term basis, people will use the app without problems, uploading videos and liking content. As TikTok issues out updates and patches, users in the US would see the app and its performance degrade on their devices.
It's also possible for TikTok to block US users after January 19th, as it happened in India, where the app was banned in 2020.
Can I download TikTok from the app store?
TikTok would be impossible to download after January 19th. A law passed by Congress last year outlined rules that would penalize companies like Apple and Google with expensive fees if they allow their users to download TikTok from the app stores.
If TikTok is banned the app will likely disappear from all app stores.
Can I access TikTok from an internet browser?
No. However, these limitations can be circumvented with a VPN, a tool that's becoming increasingly necessary as countries begin to implement more and more restrictive laws on the internet.
What is President-elect Donald Trump's role in all of this?
As Donald Trump readies to enter office for his second term as president, many TikTok users hope he can take a stance against these restrictive measures and save the app in the US. While Trump initially supported the TikTok ban, he now opposes it, calling the app a “unique medium for freedom of expression" in late December per The New York Times.
If Trump does oppose the ban, he could direct his attorney general and request for the ban not to be enforced, reopening the case. We'll have to wait and see what he decides and if a reversal of the ban is even possible.