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TikTok ban will take place on 19/01; understand the case

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The US Supreme Court has upheld the decision to ban TikTok in the country. The app is expected to stop working as early as Sunday. Read more

In recent days, news of a possible ban on TikTok in the United States has made headlines. Despite the ByteDance having appealed to the American courts, it was decided that the company had already had plenty of time to sell the application to an American company, so today (17), it was decided that the social network will no longer be able to operate on American soil as of January 19, 2025. Follow the chapters of the story that began in April of last year.

Supreme Court denies ByteDance appeal

Woman reading about tiktok ban in usa
ByteDance had one last card up its sleeve, which was also denied (Photo: Reproduction/ Council on Foreign Relations)

On April 24, 2024, Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill that requires TikTok to be owned by a U.S. company, citing the possibility that user data could be shared with other countries. The Biden administration also fears that the algorithm could be used to benefit a subject that the Chinese parent company ByteDance choice.

Since then, TikTok's parent company has had around 270 days to sell its app to a US company, otherwise there was a risk of it no longer being authorized to operate on US soil.

The company filed an appeal, citing that the law signed by Joe Biden violates the 1st Amendment of the country's Constitution, which protects freedom of expression, and that it could not go into effect at the beginning of 2025. See the social network's comment on when this was signed into law:

We will continue to fight because this legislation is a clear violation of the 1st Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok.

Michael Beckerman, Head of Public Policy at TikTok in the United States.

Despite this, the US Supreme Court stated that while the app is a great tool for expression for many people, national security concerns do not justify it continuing to be controlled by a Chinese company. See the US Supreme Court's final statement:

There is no doubt that for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok provides a distinct and broad outlet for expression, engagement, and community. But Congress has determined that divestment is necessary to address its well-founded national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and its relationship with a foreign adversary.

Supreme Court responds to TikTok.

Why is TikTok being banned in the US?

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US government wants to prevent data from being accessed by Chinese companies (Photo: Reproduction/Mashable)

A “Restrict Act” (Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act) was proposed in the US in 2023 to give the president the power to block or restrict apps and technologies from adversary countries, such as China, which represent a risk to national security.

The law aims to protect the US from digital espionage and manipulation by allowing swift action against platforms like TikTok that collect user data. The main points of the law are:

  • Debate on national security vs. freedom of speech and privacy;
  • Executive power to block or restrict technologies from adversary countries;
  • Assessment of risks related to the use of personal data and privacy;
  • Immediate actions such as asset freezing and financial restrictions;
  • Fines and sanctions for companies that do not cooperate with investigations.

In defense, the ByteDance said that the app has a global operation and it would not be possible to sell it separately so that control of operations in other countries could be carried out. The Chinese company also emphasizes that it has not spied on citizens of other countries and all the accusations are unfounded.

The campaign to have TikTok banned in the United States began during the Trump administration, back in 2020, but it was unsuccessful and the case was shelved. Joe Biden, who has always supported the idea, returned to the issue in 2023 and declared that he was in favor of banning TikTok if the rules were not followed.

Donald Trump and TikTok logo
Donald Trump has started a plan to remove social media from the US and now it may be the only hope of preventing it (Photo: Reproduction/The Independent)

The most interesting thing about this is that Donald Trump, throughout his 2024 presidential election campaign, said that he would save the social network if he were elected (and he ended up being elected). Sources close to Trump said that he has plans to allow the app to continue operating in the US and may even issue an executive order to prevent the law from taking effect in the country.

Impact of TikTok on the country

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The US has more than 173 million TikTok users (Photo: Reproduction/S.France 24)

In the US alone, there are 173 million users who access the app every day. It's safe to say that TikTok It is also a great platform for the largest music market in the world, because once a song starts to become successful there, it ends up gaining attention and becoming successful on music streaming services.

A clear example of this is music Bloody Mary, Lady Gaga, which despite not being part of the soundtrack of Wednesday (Netflix series), began to become successful after a fan used the song in a video with scenes of the character played by Jenna Ortega.

Launched in 2011, Bloody Mary has already accumulated more than 611 million views on Spotify alone, being the second most listened to song on the album Born This Way, due to the success of the videos on TikTok.

In 2023, the app contributed to the maintenance of approximately 224 jobs in the United States, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generated almost $15 billion in revenue through the platform. This impact was also reflected in public finances: SMEs’ ​​use of TikTok generated $5,3 billion in taxes paid to the U.S. government.

With the ban imminent, experts point out that the same thing could happen when TikTok was banned in India in 2020: more than 200 million people were forced to use alternatives like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Possibility of sale

Elon musk and tiktok logo
Elon Musk could be the way for the social network to continue operating in the US (Photo: Reproduction/IT.USA)

Before the appeal was denied to ByteDance, the Bloomberg raised the possibility of Elon Musk buying TikTok to prevent the video social network from being banned in the United States. The Chinese company's board disapproves of the idea because it does not agree with the law signed by Joe Biden and believes that this should not happen.

In addition, two factors limit ByteDance's autonomy: the Chinese state owns preferred shares in the company, which gives it the power to veto any decision, and Beijing's export rules prohibit Chinese companies from selling their algorithms and software. On the other hand, ByteDance argues that the Chinese government's influence applies only to operations within China.

Another factor that would be a green light for the TikTok being sold to Musk is what the billionaire is allied with the president-elect Donald Trump, then it would be favorable to sell the social network to an ally of White House which is also part of the US Office of Government Efficiency.

It is not yet known how much the social network would be sold for to Elon Musk (or even if it will happen), but market experts estimate the value to be between 40 and 50 billion dollars. In 2022, when he bought Twitter, which later became X, Musk paid 44 billion dollars.

There's no denying that this would bring several benefits to Elon Musk: he could use the audience of 173 million users to promote his services and also use TikTok's huge amount of data to feed his artificial intelligence company, xAI, founded in November 2023.

The billionaire has also spoken out against banning TikTok in the US, even though they are competitors. See the tweet and translation below:

In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the US, even though such a ban would benefit the platform 𝕏. Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.

Elon Musk on TikTok ban in the US.

Future implications

Photo to represent TikTok banned in the United States
A $5 fine could be applied to anyone using TikTok in the US after the 19th (Photo: Reproduction/The Business of Fashion)

The ban of TikTok will be done in a similar way to when the X/Twitter was blocked in Brazil: internet companies (fixed and mobile) will have to completely block access to all content, under penalty of US$5 for each user who is able to access the platform.

Additionally, Apple and Google will no longer be able to offer the social network's app in their stores. However, President Joe Biden, who is leaving office as US President, will leave this monitoring work on TikTok, which is banned in the US, to the Trump administration, which will take effect from January 20, 2025.

Information provided by the news agency Reuters mention that the ByteDance is set to shut down TikTok in the US, making it impossible for new installations to be made starting January 19, 2025. The social network's plan also includes displaying a pop-up message directing US users to a website with information about the ban.

Finally, all account data can be downloaded by users, so they can record their personal information. Neither the TikTok or ByteDance commented on the alleged blocking plan, so we can only wait for more information over the next few days.

What do you think about the ban on TikTok in the US? Tell us in the Comment!

See also other features

With information: Examination l CNN l The Guardian l Tom's Guide l Reuters l G1

Text proofread by: Daniel Coutinho in 17 / 01 / 2025


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