What to know about TikTok’s looming US ban | News

TikTok is headed for a US shutdown on Sunday, when the deadline for the platform’s Chinese owner ByteDance to either divest its ownership or cease operations expires.

Beijing-based ByteDance was given the ultimatum in April when US President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA).

As the ban nears, US officials have signaled that a reprieve could be on the way for the app, which is used by 170 million Americans.

Separately, there is a lawsuit before the Supreme Court, where TikTok is challenging the ban on the grounds that it violates freedom of expression.

Aside from the impact a ban would have on millions of users, TikTok’s fate is being watched closely because it could set a precedent for how the US handles other apps owned by China and other foreign adversaries, such as CapCut, Xiaohongshu, Lemon8, Alipay and WeChat.

What will happen on Sunday if the ban continues?

If nothing changes before the weekend, TikTok will be removed from US app stores on Sunday, while US tech companies will be banned from hosting, distributing, maintaining or updating the app.

Over time, the lack of updates would render the app unusable for existing users.

Sources have told media that users trying to access TikTok from Sunday will be directed to a website about the ban and ways to download their personal data.

TikTok did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Officials from both the Biden administration and the incoming administration of President Donald Trump, who promised to “hide” the app on the campaign trail, have indicated they are trying to find a way to keep the app from going dark.

“Americans should not expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday,” an unnamed member of Biden’s team told CNBC this week.

Trump’s incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told FOX News this week that the new administration would “find a way to preserve (TikTok) but protect people’s data.”

In another positive signal from Trump’s team, TikTok chief Shou Chew is scheduled to attend the president-elect’s inauguration on Monday.

What can the White House do to stop or delay the TikTok ban?

Under the terms of PAFACA, the US president can grant a single 90-day extension if “substantial progress” has been made towards finding TikTok a new buyer.

Trump is also reportedly considering an executive order to prevent the app from going dark, according to US media.

Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University, said these signs suggest the TikTok saga may not reach its conclusion this weekend.

– President-elect Trump asked the Supreme Court to slow down the process to give him time to find another solution, Chander told Al Jazeera.

“When he’s president, he may still be able to convince Congress to change the law, or maybe even negotiate a sale of TikTok or exercise some other authority.”

Why are US lawmakers so worried about TikTok?

Washington claims the app is a national security risk because it could be used by Beijing to spy on millions of Americans and spread propaganda.

While TikTok owner ByteDance is a private company, the Chinese government exercises a degree of influence over its domestic technology industry that is not found in the West.

In an effort to appease US lawmakers, ByteDance partnered in 2022 with US technology company Oracle to route traffic through its infrastructure and store data on US-based servers.

The move ultimately did not appease Congress, which overwhelmingly voted for the ban along bipartisan lines.

Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at Janes in Washington, DC, said governments, including Beijing, rely on social media to understand public sentiment at home and abroad.

“There is definitely this surveillance component to social media apps and internet use. It’s not just the censorship,” Chu told Al Jazeera.

“It’s also broader information gathering, not just metadata, but real insights and trends and … life patterns and vulnerabilities and opportunities.”

What about TikTok’s lawsuit against the ban?

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on January 10.

While the court has yet to issue its decision, a majority of the justices have indicated they are skeptical of TikTok’s arguments that the ban infringes on Americans’ freedom of speech.

However, rights groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have argued that the ban runs counter to free speech and is a distraction from the need for legislation to protect Americans’ personal data in general.

David Greene, civil liberties director at the EFF, said foreign adversaries can acquire Americans’ information simply by buying it from data brokers on the open market.

“Because of Congress’ failure to enact comprehensive consumer protection legislation, companies from around the world are free to harvest Americans’ data, store it forever, and then monetize it through ever-expanding uses and sales,” Greene told Al Jazeera.

“The ban or forced sale of a social media app will do virtually nothing to protect Americans’ data privacy from another country,” he added.