The deadline for a TikTok ban in the US is now closer than ever. The ban effective from Sunday January 19th could result in TikTok being completely shut down for U.S users escalating the platform struggles with US lawmakers.
.jpg "TikTok makes app unavailable for U.S. users ahead of ban")
The platform troubles in the U.S date back to 2020 when then-president. Trump threatened to ban TikTok unless its operations were sold to a U.S based company. Although the deadline for a sale was extended multiple times, the issue resurfaced in 2023 when TikTok parent company, ByteDance was taken to court.
Two outcomes emerged as possibilities a ban or a forced sale of the app. In late 2023 President Biden signed legislation enforcing a federal ban set to take effect this weekend.
Shutdown Strategy
According to a Reuters report, TikTok plans to shut down the app entirely for U.S users if the federal ban is passed. Users will receive a pop-up message when opening the application, redirecting them to an explanation on the website about what had happened. This could be a ploy by TikTok to place blame for the shutdown on the shoulders of the U.S lawmakers while building public pressure against the proposed ban.
The ban will also oblige Apple and Google to stop new downloads of TikTok from their respective app stores in the U.S. The app might continue to function for users already using it in normal conditions.
Denied Rumors of a Sale
Chinese government officials were being said to even consider selling of TikTok, U.S to Elon Musk.
However, those claims have come under denial, as the spokespeople for TikTok and government officials described as (pure fiction). On their part, Chinese ByteDance seems to reinforce its position for no forced sell off complicating the negotiations with more complexity. Chance of a last-minute extension.
A U.S senator has introduced legislation to extend the deadline for a ban by an additional 270 days that would give TikTok more time to reach an agreement with a U.S based company. But whether this bill will pass is yet to be seen. Without an extension, TikTok faces a complete shutdown in the U.S starting this Sunday.