If you’ve been on Tiktok in the past few days, you’ve no doubt noticed your favorite creators sticking on and telling you where you can locate them next. With Congress’ impending ban on social media enforcement taking effect in the United States on Sunday, it turns out that users of the platform can do little to do. On Friday, the Supreme Court judged that it upholds the ban, presenting Congress’ considerations regarding Chinese access to U. S. users’ knowledge, however, it would possibly not be the end of the story.
In a per Curiam opinion published on Friday morning, the Supreme Court made the decision to uphold the ban on Tiktok that merits removing the platform from retail outlets on Sunday, January 19. The move marks the heaviest blow yet in hopes that the app can continue to serve as usual, but despite the popularity that “Tiktok offers a unique and expansive outlet for expression” for “more than 170 million ‘Americans,” the Court nonetheless made a decision in the face of Congress’s “national security considerations of the Good Ed. “
However, the review offered a silver lining for users as they flee to other apps. While acknowledging that Tiktok represents “new technologies with transformative capabilities,” the Court warned that its ruling deserves to be “understood to be narrowly focused,” rather than serving as a precedent for long-term cases. The judges also argued that their explanation of why is “content neutral,” making an attempt to alleviate considerations that genuine explanation of why the Tiktok ban might be what users are seeing rather than how their knowledge is handled.
Technically, the terms of the Tiktok ban do not require the site to shut down operations in the United States, however, rather prevent its app from being distributed through app stores. In this state, new users may not download the app, whereas they would. Gradually become unusable over time for everyone. In general, the loss of the platform would therefore be a slower transition. However, the reports imply that Tiktok is willing to go even further, threatening to shut down some sort of nuclear option altogether to protest now now that it’s been confirmed (it also pumped up its video app of choice Lemon8, even though the Tiktok ban would likely do so too).
The idea, it seems, is to play bird with the government. American users have already shown their preference to use the similar Chinese application Xiaohongshu (or Rednote) as a replacement for Tiktok-Slash-Act-Protet, and Tiktok users in specific temporarily stopped the option of moving to Instagram US coils or other alternatives. By absolutely cutting off the application of those users, Tiktok may just be to inspire them to a political action (do not be surprised if the opening of the Tiktok application invitations you to call your representatives).
Essentially, the parent company of Tiktok, Bytedance, does not seem willing to sell to an American company, which is the only way in which the existing prohibition would allow Tiktok to continue working. Overcoming the Supreme Court is a difficult job, but to influence public opinion through its side, society turns out that it seeks precisely that.
In fact, this has already been successful, because the main government in the two alleys has already expressed its preference to withdraw the law of Congress.
Before the resolution of the Supreme Court, the reports were divided on the Si Biden consultation would take measures to pass the prohibition. Now, the White House has published an official who leaves the duty to enforce the prohibition through the new President Donald Trump.
“Given the calendar,” said the statement, detecting the position that the implementation of the prohibition puts to the Blanche de Biden the day before leaving its purposes, “this management recognizes that the movements to put in the law will have to fall to the next management .
The statement also reiterated Biden’s opinion that TikTok should remain available but under American ownership. However, in leaving responsibility for enforcing the ban up to President Trump, it does seem to give the incoming administration free reign to decide how the law is actually implemented—it’s possible (though unlikely) that TikTok could even continue to be distributed on Sunday without retribution.
Possibly it would be intelligent news for Tiktok users, when President Trump has Alin a position expressed his opposition to the ban, and reports that imply that he is in a position to act to avoid it. The Washington Post states that Trump plans to write a decree that maintains the application of the prohibition of 6 to 90 days. Even with Biden’s blessing to make a decision to do then, such an excessive measure would be the only Trump game here, because the ban is still legally determined to enter into force one day before assuming the position. Trump’s position marks an attitude replacement similar to that of President Biden: during his first term, Trump signed an executive decree that tried to force Tiktok to close operations in the United States, of which the corporate has inverse in the combination of the Oracle of Americans. To protect the knowledge of American users.
Realistically, the most stable way to get the ban struck down would be for the members of Congress who voted for it to change their minds. The biggest governmental backpedal we’ve seen on the TikTok ban so far—or at least the biggest one that doesn’t rely on hearsay and anonymous sources—would be a new bill from Democratic Senator Ed Markey. Introduced this week, Markey’s bill would have extended the deadline for the ban by 270 days, giving TikTok more time to find a buyer or provide lawmakers an opportunity to reevaluate the situation. Unfortunately, it was quickly struck down by Republican lawmakers, but the reasoning behind it does show that at least parts of Congress are beginning to waver.
“In 4 days, Tiktok is going dark,” Markey said when the law was introduced. “My bill just says we want more time. “
As a component of his justification for the bill, Markey argued that Tiktok has been “at the center of our economy and communicates”, arguing that the communities that its creators and small businesses have established there cannot be replicated in any other application ” .
“We need time to have a deeper conversation about how to address the national security risks caused by Bytedance’s ownership of TikTok.” Markey continued. “We need time to understand the ban’s implication on TikTok’s creators and users. We need time to consider alternative ideas.”
This invoice also marked some of an attitude replaced by Markey, who first spoke opposite to prohibit the platform, however, he voted for the existing prohibition, despite the fact that it is observed that the prohibition was included in an invoice that also offered help To Ukraine and Israel.
For his part, in an article about X, the leader of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, promised to continue “working to stay alive Tiktok”, even in front of the Republican opposition.
While politicians in the halls and two branches of government have now talked about investing or maintaining the ban, some within the government are sticking to their initial decision.
“They had all the time in the world,” Republican Senator Rick Scott said. “They’ve had an opportunity to sell it to make sure the Chinese government doesn’t control it and they decided not to do that.”
Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who led to the blocking of Markey’s bill, said, “We would remove the sub-ttreadmill from Tiktok, and ban it. Instead, Congress only demanded that the app can no longer be owned and controlled through our nation’s worst enemy, Communist China.
For now, all eyes are on Trump, who takes office on Monday. Hopeful viewers include even TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who will be present at Trump’s inauguration and has already posted a video preemptively thanking Trump “for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.” This kind of signaling could just be wishful thinking, or it could indicate that while there’s little Trump can do to keep the ban from going into effect on Sunday, we could see some quick action just one day later. As Trump told CNN shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision went through, “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do.”
But even if the legal tension of the highest workplace in the country cannot bring back its favorite influential, there is also the public opinion factor. Definishishing on how Tiktok responds to the decision of the Supreme Court, Americans can have a very another reaction to the prohibition. Enough public fervor, it is imaginable that we see more attempts through Congress or the Presidency to prevent this saga from ending completely.
Update 4:30 pm He: Update this article with a video of the CEO of Tiktok Shou Zi Chew.
Michelle Ehrhardt is Lifehacker’s related technological editor. She has been writing about pop generation and culture since 2014 and has been for sales issues, adding Gizmoda and Tom equipment.