What to know when the Supreme Court decides the fate of the platform

On January 17, 2025By Littum

Under federal law, if TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance doesn’t sell the platform by Sunday, it will be banned in the US
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments from TikTok, which opposes the ban, last week. SCOTUS may publish its decision electronically Friday morning.
Multiple reports indicate that TikTok may shut down the platform on Sunday.
If implemented, the ban would make it illegal for US internet hosting services and app stores to distribute TikTok.
President-elect Donald Trump has asked SCOTUS to pause 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 is two days until the social media platform TikTok could be banned in the United States.

TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance has until Sunday to sell the platform under federal legislation signed by President Joe Biden last spring. If Beijing-based ByteDance does not, TikTok will be banned in the US, making it illegal for US internet 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 Americans’ 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 release an electronic opinion at 10 EST Friday.

Here’s what we know about the ban in TikTok’s potential final hours in the US

When will SCOTUS announce its decision?

Although SCOTUS justices are not scheduled to take the bench, the court said website on Thursday that it may release a statement electronically on Friday at 10 EST.

The court does not announce in advance which cases it decides, but the judges are up against the Sunday deadline. The court is not expected to release a decision before Sunday.

What will the Supreme Court decision decide?

If SCOTUS upholds the existing law, ByteDance has until Sunday to divest TikTok’s US assets.

During last week’s hearing, Justice Samuel Alito asked whether the court could temporarily block or administratively suspend the law.

U.S. Attorney General Elizabeth Prelogar, who defended the ban to the Biden administration, advised against a temporary block unless TikTok was likely to win based on its First Amendment claim of a right to distribute its content. As for an administrative stay, Prelogar said she would defer to the judges on whether 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, TikTok appears to be preparing to shut down the platform on its own on Sunday if a ban does indeed take effect, according to multiple reports. Remarks about TikTok’s intentions were first shared by the company on Friday.

How might the ban affect users?

If the ban on TikTok goes into effect on Sunday, it will be illegal for US internet hosting services and app stores to distribute the platform.

TikTok users who already have the app downloaded on mobile devices will still have access to it, but they won’t be able to update the app, which is likely to become unusable over time. TikTok would also be inaccessible through US-based internet hosting services, which means the TikTok website would not be accessible.

Would there be a way around the ban?

Experts are unsure how exactly the ban will be implemented. But content creators use this time to educate other users about virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow online users to mask their locations. In theory, if a user used a VPN to set their location outside the US, the user could access TikTok.

However, there are a few cases where VPNs would not work. Dan York, a senior adviser to the Internet Society, previously told USA TODAY that popular VPNs could be blocked and that using locations outside the country would result in slower or unreliable connections.

York advised users to do thorough research before using VPNs, as there are malicious companies that may want to take advantage of users who want to use one for the first time.

What does Donald Trump think about the ban?

President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on Monday, the day after the ban could be put into effect. Although he previously supported a ban on the platform, Trump asked SCOTUS last month to put an end to the deadline to give his incoming administration “the opportunity to pursue a policy resolution of the issues in the case.”

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Trump is considering an executive order that would halt the ban for 60 to 90 days, a report 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 implemented.

Who is interested in buying TikTok?

Perhaps most notably, Project Liberty, an organization led by billionaire Frank McCourt, announced last week that it was making a formal offer to ByteDance to buy TikTok’s US assets. Project Liberty President Tomicah Tillemann said in a statement that the organization would not disclose the bid amount.

McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced last month that Project Liberty had secured verbal commitments of up to 20 billion dollars for the purchase. “Shark Tank” host and investor Kevin O’Leary announced last week that he was joining Project Liberty on the buyout plan.

If Project Liberty bought TikTok, it would only be the US assets, which do not include the algorithm, as China considers it its intellectual property.

Others who have expressed interest in the platform include Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk; YouTuber James “Jimmy” Donaldson, more commonly known as MrBeast; former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick; Walmart CEO Doug McMillon; and Microsoft as a unit.

What other platforms are users flocking to?

In the wake of the ban, several social media apps are fighting for the top spot Apple App and Google Play stores, with the first place of the Chinese app RedNote, from Thursday. TikTok-owned Lemon8 is a close second, which is ironic since the app could also be subject to a ban under the law.

Other platforms that users explore include Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, Clapper, Triller, Fanbase, Neptune and Twitch.

Cast: Maureen Groppe

Greta Cross is a national trends reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].