.

TikTok could ‘go dark’ in US Sunday

 

WASHINGTON (AFP) – TikTok says it will “go dark” in the United States on Sunday unless the government provides assurances a new law calling for its ban won’t be used to punish service providers.

“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” TikTok said in a statement.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law supported by President Joe Biden and Congress that requires the app’s owner ByteDance to either sell TikTok or cease US operations by January 19.

“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok said following the Supreme Court decision.

The unanimous ruling, which found the law does not violate free speech rights, dealt a major blow to TikTok and created uncertainty about what will happen when the ban takes effect.

The court agreed with the government’s national security concerns about Chinese company ByteDance’s ownership of the app.

ByteDance has firmly rejected selling its US operation, a stance also taken by Beijing, which has denounced the law as theft.

The justices acknowledged that, “for more than 170 million Americans,” the social media giant “offers a distinct and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community.”

But, the court concluded, “Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”

Even if the ban now stands, the Biden White House said it won’t enforce it, leaving the matter to incoming president Donald Trump.

Trump, who opposes the ban, discussed TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.

“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social as he said he would need time to find an alternative to the ban.

The Department of Justice noted that enforcing the law “will be a process that plays out over time,” in a potential sign that it does not intend to carry out the law for now.

Despite the court defeat, TikTok chief executive Shou Chew thanked Trump for his “commitment to work with us to find a solution.”

Trump “truly understands our platform,” he added.

TikTok has been lobbying furiously to thwart the law’s implementation with Chew set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

The law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, blocking new downloads. The companies could face penalties of up to USD5,000 per user who can access the app.

Chew gave no indication on whether TikTok would unilaterally shut down its platform in the United States when the ban kicks in, as reported in US media.

TikTok’s lawyer Noel Francisco had warned it would shut down Sunday in case of a legal defeat.

‘Viable deal’ 

Trump’s incoming national security advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News the administration would work “to keep TikTok from going dark,” noting the law allows a 90-day delay if the White House can show progress toward “a viable deal.”

Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has expressed interest in leading a purchase of TikTok’s US activity and said he’s “ready to work with the company and President Trump to complete a deal.”

The ban would hugely benefit US-owned rivals Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, but influencers said that TikTok’s unique abilities could not be matched.

“Making videos and reaching people on TikTok is so much easier than a lot of other platforms,” said Nathan Espinoza, who has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok.

Courtney Spritzer, head of digital marketing agency Socialfly, said TikTok creators were in “great uncertainty.”

Among advertisers, “some are betting there will be a shutdown while others are more optimistic that it will continue to exist after Sunday.”

With a US ban on TikTok hours away, Trump says he ‘most likely’ will grant an extension

.

A TikTok app is shown on a phone in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. PHOTO: AP

.

.

AP – The clock is ticking toward a US ban on TikTok, but users seeking clarity on what that will mean did not get much Saturday from the company that runs the popular video-sharing platform or the tech giants that offer the TikTok app in their digital marketplaces.

However, President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News that he was considering granting an extension that might allow TikTok to keep going beyond Sunday, when a law that prohibits mobile app stores and internet hosting services from distributing TikTok to US users takes effect.

The ban’s timing has complicated matters, perhaps in TikTok’s favor: the outgoing Biden administration reiterated Saturday that it considers the law’s implementation and enforcement to be the responsibility of Trump, who takes office on Monday and has pledged to “save” the app.

Under the law, TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, had nine months to sell the platform’s US operation to an approved buyer. The law allows the sitting president to extend the deadline by 90 days if a sale is in progress.

.

.

.Are there any viable deals on the table?

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI submitted a proposal to ByteDance on Saturday to create a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok US business, according to a person familiar with the matter. If successful, the new structure would include other investors and allow ByteDance’s existing shareholders to retain their stake in the company, the person said.

Perplexity is not asking to purchase the coveted ByteDance algorithm that feeds TikTok users videos based on their interests. The person said they thought a fair price for TikTok without the algorithm is north of USD50 billion.

If the proposed merger goes through, the algorithm would need to be rebuilt. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to speak publicly about the proposal.

In terms of potential buyers, “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary recently said a consortium of investors that he and billionaire Frank McCourt put together offered ByteDance USD20 billion in cash for TikTok.

Trump told NBC News that he “most likely” would give TikTok the extension after his inauguration. ByteDance previously said it would not sell, but TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration with a prime seating location.

.

.

Why is TikTok’s future in the US so unclear?

The US Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law that banned TikTok unless ByteDance divested itself of its US holdings. In issuing the decision, justices rejected Trump’s request to wait until his administration could pursue a “political resolution” to the issue.

TikTok, ByteDance and some of the devoted users who rely on the platform argued the statute violated the First Amendment. The Biden administration sought to show ByteDance’s ownership and control of TikTok posed an unacceptable national security threat.

TikTok asked the Biden administration late for a “definitive statement” that would assure Google, Apple and other companies they would not face fines if they continued making its service available nationwide. Otherwise, TikTok said it “will be forced to go dark” on Sunday.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s demand “a stunt.”

“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office,” Jean-Pierre said Saturday. TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent on Saturday.

.

.

What will happen on Sunday?

It’s not explicitly clear. Experts have said the way the law was written, current TikTok users would continue to have access to the app but wouldn’t receive updates, eventually making it unworkable.

Though the company says its platform will go dark, it did not provide details, including whether it would voluntarily shut down its US platform at midnight.

Trump has credited TikTok with helping him win the support of more young voters in last year’s election, but he wasn’t always a fan. During his first term, he issued executive orders banning TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat. Courts subsequently blocked the moves.

Trump told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview Saturday that if he gives TikTok the 90-day extension, it will “probably” be announced on Monday.

“We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” NBC News quoted him as saying.

How reliant are Americans on TikTok?

The majority of US teenagers and a third of adults use TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center. Most people use it to watch entertaining, short-form videos. A subset of users — content creators and small business owners — rely on the platform for income.

Some past opinion polling showed a majority of Americans did not want the app to go away. A poll conducted by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in January 2024 found a three-way split among Americans when it came to banning the platform, with roughly a third favoring or opposing it or not having an opinion on the topic. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center survey conducted in July and August said public support for a ban had declined to 32 per cent from 50 per cent in March 2023.

.

.

What will happen to TikTok if it gets banned?

If TikTok gets banned — and stays banned — in the US, it will take a big financial hit. Attorneys for the company said in court documents that even if a US shutdown lasted one month, TikTok would lose 29 per cent of its total “targeted global” advertising revenue for 2025 as well as talented current and prospective employees. However, the platform likely won’t fully go away since it remains popular abroad.

For now, the company has tried to assure its US employees they can continue to come to work. Earlier this week, TikTok told its US workers that its offices would remain open for work even if the “situation” were not resolved by Sunday.

In the memo, which was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by the company, TikTok told employees that their “employment, pay and benefits” were secure, adding that the ban law was written in a way that impacts the US user experience but not TikTok as an employer.

TikTok’s other troubles

The sell-or-ban law is not the only legal issue that TikTok and ByteDance encountered last year.

In October, more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia sued TikTok, alleging the app was designed to be addictive to children and harms their mental health. Virginia’s attorney general filed a lawsuit Friday making similar claims while also alleging TikTok had misled the public about the Chinese government’s ability to misuse information about American users.

Other nations have also taken action to restrict or penalise TikTok.

On Dec 30, Venezuela’s Supreme Court fined TikTok USD10 million for “not implementing measures” to prevent viral video challenges that government officials alleged had led to the deaths of three Venezuelan children last year.

Albania’s prime minister announced earlier in December that his government would shut down TikTok for one year because the platform allegedly incited violence and bullying, especially among children.

Also last month, European Union regulators opened an investigation into whether TikTok breached the EU’s online safety and fairness rules by failing to prevent alleged Russian interference in Romania’s presidential election. TikTok said it had “protected the integrity” of its platform during over 150 elections around the world.

.

Ads by: Memento Maxima Digital Marketing @[email protected] SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT

It's only fair to share...