(NEXSTAR) – The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law banning TikTok starting Sunday unless the social media app is sold by its Chinese parent company.
Multiple parties have expressed interest in acquiring the popular platform, but parent company ByteDance has repeatedly said it has no intention of selling. If nothing changes at the 11th hour, the ban is expected to come into effect on January 19th.
However, this app won’t suddenly disappear from your phone and you won’t get into trouble with the law for using it. If TikTok’s ban is left unchecked, it will likely look like it will slowly become obsolete. New users will not be able to download the app and will not be able to get updates from the app store. Internet hosting services will also be prohibited from hosting TikTok.
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That would ultimately render the app unusable, the Justice Department said in a court filing.
President Joe Biden said he does not intend to implement the law on Sunday, the last full day of his term.
“Given the sheer facts of timing, the current administration recognizes that action to implement this law should be left to the next administration, which takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “I am doing so,” he said.
Will Trump intervene?
President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering issuing an executive order to keep TikTok alive after he takes office, despite the ban being popular with both parties in Congress. It is being
Trump’s transition team has not released detailed records on how the president plans to follow through on his campaign promise to “save TikTok.” But spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said in a statement in November that the company intends to “deliver” on its promise.
After Trump takes office, the Justice Department will be responsible for enforcing the law and punishing violators. On Wednesday, Pam Bondi, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, dodged a question during a Senate hearing about whether she supports banning TikTok.
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Is anyone seriously considering buying TikTok to save it?
Frank McCourt, the billionaire businessman, real estate mogul and former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently announced that his internet advocacy organization has submitted a proposal to acquire the social media site from ByteDance. Prominent Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary is also joining the effort.
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also bought TikTok. Shortly after Congress passed the ban, Mnuchin told CNBC that he had begun creating an investor group to buy the popular social media company.
Several other potential buyers have also been named. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Jimmy Donaldson (aka Mr. Beast), who recently posted on social media about the possibility of such a deal happening, and former Blizzard Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. However, it is unclear whether these buyers are serious and actively bidding for the company.
ByteDance, on the other hand, maintains its position that it has no plans to sell. Experts also note that the Chinese government is unlikely to approve a sale that includes TikTok’s long-awaited algorithm.
Why are lawmakers concerned about TikTok?
The debate over TikTok in Congress largely boils down to national security. The United States said it was concerned that the app collects vast amounts of user data, including sensitive information about browsing habits, that could be forced into the hands of the Chinese government.
Officials also said the algorithms that drive what users see on the app are vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities and could be used to shape content on the platform in ways that are difficult to detect. I warned you that there is.
TikTok noted that the U.S. has not presented any evidence that China seeks to manipulate content on the U.S. platform or collect U.S. user data through TikTok.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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