It looks to be the end of TikTok in the United States.
The popular social media app that allows users to record videos is slated to be banned in the U.S. starting Jan. 19, almost a year after Congress voted to ban the app if TikTok’s parent company didn’t sell the popular social media app. The company has tried to appeal the decision and users have rallied against the government for banning the app which helps people generate money for the content they create.
As the deadline for TikTok draws near, some lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden and the U.S. Supreme Court to take steps to prevent TikTok from being banned Sunday, arguing a ban would come at the expense of free speech for millions of Americans.
Why is TikTok getting banned?
TikTok is one of the most popular social media sites in the United States, but lawmakers fear that it could be a threat to national security because of its ties to China.
Members of the House’s Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party argue that the social media site creates “an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security” by allowing the Chinese government to “surveil and influence the American public,” reported USA TODAY.
TikTok says it stores all American user data in a U.S.-based entity, and the storage is solely managed by the company’s U.S.-based security. TikTok denies it shares data about its U.S. users with Beijing.
The law passed by Congress and signed by Biden last spring was based on national security grounds.
Will TikTok be banned?
There is a chance TikTok may not be banned on Sunday, but it depends on the Supreme Court.
The social media giant went before SCOTUS on Friday in hopes of delaying the ban on the grounds that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.
No decision has come from the Supreme Court as of Tuesday morning.
If the legislation is upheld, ByteDance will have until Sunday to divest the U.S. operation of TikTok.
How many people in the U.S. use TikTok?
The popular app is used by around 170 million Americans, according to USA TODAY.
Who owns TikTok?
ByteDance developed TikTok and currently owns the video-sharing social network site.
It is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Beijing.
How would TikTok be banned?
Based on the law, TikTok would be made unavailable in app stores or via web hosting services – effectively making it unavailable to U.S. users – unless ByteDance sells the app.
The block wouldn’t allow any new users to download the app, but existing users could still access it, according to reports from USA TODAY. But people who have the app wouldn’t be able to update it and the TikTok website will become unavailable through U.S.-based internet hosting services.
If the ban occurs millions of U.S. content creators’ livelihoods are on the line. These creators earn income on the app and it could potentially send users flocking to similar social media apps.
What is RedNote? TikTok refugees find new app
Ahead of the ban, TikTok users have been searching for another app that has similar capabilities of TikTok. One of the frontrunners for users is another Chinese-owned app called RedNote.
RedNote currently sits as the top social networking app that is free on the Apple app store rankings. The app known as Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book,” or the English name RedNote, is a cross between multiple social media apps. With a layout similar to Pinterest, it is often described as a Chinese version of Instagram and is made for short-term content just like TikTok.
The app has garnered attention from American users ahead of the possible ban, and even though the predominant language used on RedNote is Mandarin, it has opened up discussions between users abroad and the U.S.
You can read more about RedNote at tennessean.com.
