On the morning of Jan. 19, U.S. TikTok users, puffy-eyed from the night before, were shocked to discover that the ban on their beloved app had miraculously lifted overnight. Millions of users were relieved to find their “For You” pages returned to life and their scrolling habits restored.
However, this tight turnaround doesn’t guarantee that TikTok will be here to stay.
What Happened During the Ban?
U.S. TikTok users nationwide received a message that the app was no longer available on Jan. 18 at around 10:30 p.m. ET. This sudden eviction was a voluntary move by TikTok to prepare for the ban recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 17.
The ban gave TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, until Jan. 19 to find a neutral buyer for the app’s U.S. version. Failure to do so would result in distributors, such as Apple and Google, facing a $5,000 fine per user.
With TikTok reporting more than 170 million U.S. users, app stores have taken it off their marketplaces. The ban also extended to other apps operated by ByteDance, such as Lemon8, another photo-and-video-sharing app, and CapCut, a video editing app frequently used with TikTok.
A new social media app skyrocketed into popularity this weekend, however. The TikTok ban prompted half a million users to migrate to Xiaohongshu, commonly called “RedNote.”
The Chinese-owned app boasts similar features to TikTok, including short-form videos, endless scrolling, and an algorithm curating users’ feeds. Yet, it never gained international popularity before the ban, as only one version of the app was available and intended for Chinese citizens.
But this weekend marked a shift, as new RedNote users from the U.S. began posting while calling themselves “TikTok refugees” and exploring content as the app begins to prepare Mandarin-to-English translation tools. Its strict censorship policies, however, have sparked concern for some Americans. Yet it’s claimed the spot as the number one app on the Apple App Store as of Jan. 20.
Why Did Lawmakers Want to Ban TikTok in the First Place?
U.S. officials have been alarmed for years that TikTok poses a threat to national security, as ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing. The Chinese government could use TikTok to control the collection of U.S. user data or exploit its algorithm to promote a specific agenda. Yet, the app’s ties to the country’s government remain unclear.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri even warned that TikTok is “a personal security threat,” too, telling CBS News that the app can “track your whereabouts,” “read your text messages,” and “track your keystrokes.”
In 2022, TikTok launched “Project Texas,” an initiative intended to further safeguard user data for Americans. However, the Department of Justice found it to be ineffective since it still allowed some U.S. data to be shared with China.
Will the Ban Reversal Last?
The ban on TikTok will be difficult to reverse since it’s already received bipartisan support, signed by now-former U.S. President Joe Biden, and unanimously ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court.
Despite encouraging a TikTok ban during his first term, current U.S. President Donald Trump is now calling for the ban to be halted. On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order stating that the ban will be paused for 75 days and companies working with TikTok over that period won’t be held liable. During this timeframe, he’s projected intentions to reach a joint venture with the app that provides the U.S. with 50% ownership of it.
It’s not clear whether Trump’s executive order can fully halt the ban. However, the current law allows the TikTok sale deadline to be extended by 90 days. For this to take effect, Trump would have to prove that a deal is underway regarding a sale.
As of now, TikTok has resumed its operations but will remain unavailable from the Apple and Google app stores in the U.S.
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