- Under federal law, if TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell the platform by Sunday, it will be banned in the U.S.
- The Supreme Court heard oral arguments from TikTok, which challenges the ban, last week. SCOTUS may release its decision electronically on Friday morning.
- Multiple reports indicate that TikTok may shut down the platform itself on Sunday.
- If implemented, the ban will make it illegal for US web hosting services and app stores to distribute TikTok.
- President-elect Donald Trump has asked SCOTUS to stop the ban to give him a chance to “save” TikTok.
- Project Liberty, an organization led by billionaire Frank McCourt, made a formal offer to ByteDance to buy TikTok last week.
- TikTok users are flocking to social media platforms like RedNote and Lemon8 in the days leading up to the ban.
The start of the weekend marks two days until the social media platform TikTok could be banned in the United States.
TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance has until Sunday to sell the platform under federal legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden last spring. If Beijing-based ByteDance fails to do so, TikTok will be banned in the US, making it illegal for US web hosting services and app stores to distribute the platform.
Legislation implementing the ban has been in the works for several years, as some government officials believe TikTok is a national security threat and could share US user data with the Chinese government.
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments last Friday from TikTok, which claims the ban is a violation of America’s First Amendment rights. And after more than a week, the court may share its decision. The court said on its website Thursday that it may issue an electronic opinion at 10 a.m. EST Friday.
More:The Supreme Court may decide on Friday whether TikTok will be banned
Here’s what we know about the ban, in the likely final hours of TikTok in the US
When will SCOTUS release its decision?
Although the SCOTUS justices are not scheduled to take the bench, the court said on its website Thursday that it may issue an electronic opinion Friday at 10 a.m. EST.
The court does not announce in advance which cases it decides on, but the judges are against the Sunday deadline. The court is not due to issue a decision before Sunday.
What will the decision of the Supreme Court determine?
If SCOTUS upholds the existing legislation, ByteDance will have until Sunday to divest TikTok’s US assets.
During last week’s hearing, Justice Samuel Alito asked whether the court could temporarily block the law or temporarily halt the law administratively.
US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, defending the ban for the Biden administration, advised against a temporary block unless TikTok was likely to win based on its First Amendment claim to the right to distribute its content. As for an administrative stay, Prelogar said he would defer to the courts if they have enough time to decide the case.
Is TikTok planning to shut down the platform on Sunday?
Following last week’s Supreme Court hearing, it appears that TikTok is preparing to shut down the platform itself on Sunday if a ban goes into effect, according to multiple reports. The remarks about TikTok’s intentions were first shared by the company on Friday.
How might the ban affect users?
If the TikTok ban goes into effect on Sunday, it will make it illegal for US web hosting services and app stores to distribute the platform.
TikTok users who already have the app downloaded on their mobile devices will still have access to it, but they won’t be able to update the app, which will likely become unusable over time. TikTok will also be unavailable through US-based web hosting services, which means that the TikTok website will not be accessible.
Would there be a way to avoid the ban?
Experts are not sure how exactly the ban would be implemented. But content creators are using this time to educate other users about virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow online users to mask their locations. In theory, if a user uses a VPN to set their location outside the US, the user may be able to access TikTok.
However, there are some cases in which VPNs would not work. Dan York, a senior adviser to the Internet Society, previously told USA TODAY that popular VPNs can be blocked, and using locations abroad would result in slower or unreliable connections.
York advised users to do thorough research before using a VPN, as there are malicious companies that may want to take advantage of users looking to use one for the first time.
What does Donald Trump think about the ban?
President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office on Monday, a day after the ban was imposed. Although he previously supported a platform ban, Trump asked SCOTUS last month to stay the deadline to give his incoming administration “an opportunity to pursue a policy resolution of the issues at hand in this case.”
More:TikTok CEO expected to attend Trump’s inauguration as ban looms
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Trump is considering an executive order that would halt the ban for 60 to 90 days, a report that USA TODAY is working to confirm. However, it is unclear whether Trump would be able to issue such an order or how it would be enforced.
Who is interested in buying TikTok?
Perhaps most significantly, Project Liberty, an organization led by billionaire Frank McCourt, announced last week that it made a formal offer to ByteDance to buy TikTok’s US assets. Liberty Project President Tomicah Tillemann said in a statement that the organization would not publicly disclose the amount of the bid.
McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced last month that Project Liberty had secured verbal commitments of up to $20 billion for the acquisition. “Shark Tank” host and investor Kevin O’Leary announced last week that he was joining Project Liberty in the acquisition plan.
If Project Liberty were to buy TikTok, it would only be US assets, which do not include the algorithm, as China views it as its intellectual property.
Others who have expressed interest in the platform include Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk; YouTuber James “Jimmy” Donaldson, better known as MrBeast; former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick; Walmart CEO Doug McMillon; and Microsoft as one entity.
What other platforms are users flocking to?
Following the ban, several social media apps are fighting for the top spot in the Apple App and Google Play stores, with the number one spot held by Chinese app RedNote as of Thursday. TikTok-owned Lemon8 is in second place, which is ironic, as the app could be subject to a ban under the legislation as well.
More:Wondering where to go if TikTok is banned? Here are 10 alternatives that are gaining traction
Other platforms that users are exploring include Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, Clapper, Triller, Fanbase, Neptune and Twitch.
Contributed by: Maureen Groppe
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
