TikTok said it would “flicker” in the US on Sunday unless the government intervenes before the ban takes effect.
In a statement late Friday, the White House and Justice Department “failed to provide necessary clarity and assurances to service providers essential to maintaining TikTok’s availability.”
Unless the government steps in immediately to ensure video apps won’t be punished for violating the upcoming ban, it will “be forced to go dark on January 19,” he said.
The statement is: Supreme Court ruling on FridaThe y supported a law that would ban the app in the U.S. unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform by Sunday.
The law, passed last April, requires ByteDance to sell the U.S. version of its platform to a neutral party to avoid an outright ban.
TikTok challenged the law, claiming it violated free speech protections for the country’s 170 million users.
But the Supreme Court’s ruling means that in the future the US version of the app will be removed from app stores and web hosting services unless a buyer is found.
The ban was not thought to affect TikTok users who had already downloaded the app on their phones.
However, once the ban is implemented, updates will become unavailable and over time the app will degrade and become unusable.
A new statement from TikTok on Friday; However, we suggest that it may become unavailable immediately for all existing users as well as those trying to download it.
Influencers and content creators have been posting videos on the app saying goodbye to their followers ahead of the impending ban.
One creator, Nicole Bloomgarden, told the BBC Not using TikTok would result in a significant pay cut, and another, Erika Thompson, said the platform’s educational content would be the “biggest loss” to the community.
Some users have announced where they can watch their content next, including Red Note, a Chinese video app that until now has been largely unused by U.S. users.
President Joe Biden’s term expires on Monday, when Donald Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated as the next president. The White House previously said it would be up to the next president to enforce the law.
Trump initially supported the measure but then said he opposed the ban. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I will have time to review the situation,” he said on Friday.
He also said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed TikTok.
Last December, Trump said he had a “warm spot” for the app because it helped young voters in the 2024 election.
Trump’s comments marked a U-turn from his initial stance during his presidency, when he sought to enact a similar ban through executive order.
ByteDance has vowed not to sell TikTok and said it plans to cease operating the app in the U.S. on Sunday unless there is a reprieve.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers voted last year to ban the video-sharing app, citing concerns that it was linked to the Chinese government. TikTok has repeatedly said it does not share information with Beijing.
The ban comes amid growing concerns in the United States about Chinese espionage.
Cybersecurity companies have suggested that the app may be collecting data on users beyond what is seen on TikTok.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said authoritarian regimes should not have “unfettered access” to Americans’ data and that the decision prevented China from “weaponizing TikTok to undermine America’s national security.”
China enacted a law in 2017 forcing Chinese nationals living abroad to cooperate with its intelligence agencies.
But China denies pressuring companies to collect information on its behalf and has criticized the ban. TikTok has repeatedly emphasized that it has never been requested for the data.
The app argued that the law would threaten freedom of speech and hurt users, advertisers, content creators and employees. TikTok has 7,000 U.S. employees.
April 24, 2024: Biden signed a bipartisan TikTok bill that would give TikTok, its Chinese parent company, ByteDance six months to sell a controlling stake or face being blocked in the United States.
May 7, 2024: TikTok calls the law an “abnormal infringement on freedom of expression” and is suing to block it.
August 2, 2024: The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit against social media company TikTok, accusing it of illegally collecting children’s data and failing to respond when parents tried to delete their children’s accounts.
December 6, 2024: TikTok’s attempt to overturn a law preventing it from being banned or sold in the U.S. starting in early 2025 has been rejected by a federal appeals court.
December 27, 2024: President-elect Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the upcoming ban while he works on a “political solution.”
January 10, 2025: The Supreme Court’s nine justices heard from lawyers representing TikTok and content creators that the ban violates free speech protections for the platform’s more than 170 million users in the United States.
January 17, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a law that could lead to TikTok being banned within days due to national security concerns.
January 19, 2025: The deadline is for TikTok to sell its U.S. stake or face being banned. TikTok said it would be “going dark” on this day.
