The Supreme Court of the United States on Friday (January 17) rejected TikTok’s request to avoid being banned, which means the U.S. government’s ban will take effect on January 19.
In 2024, the U.S. Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Exploiting Application Act, requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest from TikTok by January 19, 2025, or else the app would face a ban in the United States. President Biden later signed the bill into law.
Lawmakers in the United States have warned that TikTok’s management is influenced by the Chinese government, which could compel the company to share data of its U.S. users and spread Chinese propaganda through the app. TikTok has denied these allegations.
Here are some key points to know about the TikTok ban taking effect on Sunday, January 19:
After the ban takes effect, the app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance will be removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store as mandated by law. This means new users will not be able to download TikTok from Apple and Google’s app stores, and existing users will also be unable to update the app because the law prohibits any entity from assisting with downloading or maintaining the TikTok app.
Senior Republican Senator Tom Cotton warned on Thursday (January 16) that Apple and Google could face hefty fines if they do not remove TikTok as scheduled.
The collaboration between cloud service provider Oracle and TikTok might be affected. Oracle hosts U.S. user data for TikTok on its servers, reviews the app’s source code, and provides it to app stores.
In an internal memo, TikTok’s leadership expressed plans to continue paying the salaries of its 7,000 employees in the U.S.
Experts say that after the ban takes effect, TikTok’s approximately 170 million users in the U.S. may still be able to use the app since they have already downloaded it on their phones. However, existing U.S. users will not receive TikTok software updates and security patches, leading to more vulnerabilities over time and eventually rendering the app unusable.
In fact, many updates are often provided to fix security vulnerabilities in the app. Even if users can continue to use TikTok, stopping system updates could make it easier for hackers to target millions of devices.
While U.S. law does not require TikTok to shut down entirely, only limiting its download on Apple and Google app stores, Reuters cited sources on Wednesday (January 15) saying that TikTok plans to start shutting off services to U.S. users on January 19.
Sources say TikTok plans to display a pop-up message when users try to open the app, directing them to a webpage with information about the ban while providing an option to download personal data for users to save their information.
Content creators who rely on TikTok to build their fan base and business are preparing for the potential shutdown of the app and guiding their followers to alternative platforms like Instagram.
Advertisers have been urgently preparing contingency plans this week as the ban could jeopardize their advertising activities on the platform.
According to marketing group WARC Media’s forecast, if the ban is implemented, the annual advertising investment of over $11 billion targeting the TikTok market could be seized by TikTok’s competitors.
“Wall Street will be watching the results of Meta, Snap, and other companies to see who can benefit from this rapid spend shift,” said Craig Atkinson, CEO of digital marketing agency Code3.
TikTok believes that the U.S. government ban on TikTok violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. After losing the appeal in court, TikTok filed an emergency motion on December 9, 2024, requesting to suspend the implementation of the law pending review by the Supreme Court.
On January 10, 2025, the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. heard the first oral arguments in the TikTok lawsuit. The majority of justices indicated that they believed national security concerns should take precedence over the free speech rights of the company and a group of content creators. Several justices emphasized in the debate that the focus of the government’s law is not to limit speech but to target TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Congress views ByteDance as having dangerous ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
On January 17, the Supreme Court again upheld the ban’s implementation. In its opinion, the Supreme Court stated that for the 170 million American users, TikTok provides a “unique and extensive channel of expression, engagement, and community source.”
However, the court pointed out that Congress was concerned about national security issues, which was a decisive factor in the court’s decision-making.
“Congress has determined that divestment is necessary to address the deep national security concern raised by TikTok’s data collection practices and its close links to foreign adversaries,” the Supreme Court wrote.
The Biden administration recently increased export restrictions on Chinese semiconductor and chip equipment, seeking more ways to limit China’s access to advanced technology. The TikTok ban could further worsen relations between the two countries.
However, Professor Sean Ennis from the University of East Anglia stated, “This ban isn’t surprising as the issue has been debated for five years.”
Former President Trump stated on Truth Social on Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. “I will make a decision on TikTok in the near future, but I need time to review the situation.”
According to the TikTok ban passed by Congress, the law gives the president the option to extend the ban by 90 days. However, triggering an extension requires evidence that parties involved in the acquisition have made significant progress, including reaching legally binding agreements.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has not publicly stated that it will sell TikTok. But if TikTok is banned in the long term, selling remains an option.
Billionaire businessman Frank McCourt has expressed interest in TikTok. His consortium estimates TikTok’s valuation to be around $20 billion, excluding the algorithm.
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the TikTok ban on Friday, host of the reality show “Shark Tank” and Canadian celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary expressed willingness to bid $20 billion to acquire the platform.
According to previous reports by Bloomberg, the Chinese government is considering various contingency plans, including having American billionaire Elon Musk acquire TikTok’s U.S. business. However, TikTok stated that this news is “purely fictional.”
(This article referenced reports from Reuters and BBC.)