When will TikTok be banned and what will actually happen?

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Sigh. Looks like it’s happening: The Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold a law that would ban TikTok, meaning the video app might go dark on January 19 or this Sunday. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Controlled Applications Act — which Congress passed while stalling on something useful — will make it illegal for app stores and web hosting services to serve TikTok unless Bytedance sells the app to an American owner. Well RIP I will miss feeling around my bed for my phone first thing in the morning and blasting through videos of people royally fucking up their mac and cheese until I’m late for work. I will miss lingering embarrassingly long on tarot readings that confirm that my crush has indeed been in love with me all along. The app was good – often bizarre, sometimes educational and a lot of fun.

There is a possibility that President Donald Trump will initiate an emergency intervention or Bytedance will sell TikTok at the last minute to someone who – shaking – Elon Musk. The outgoing Biden administration is asking Trump to enforce the ban even though he doesn’t take office until Monday, leaving app stores to decide whether to comply on Sunday. If they do, TikTok will no longer be available for download on the app store. It’s unclear what will happen if you already have the app. There is a possibility that users will receive a notification that TikTok is no longer in use and find it non-functional, which is what has happened since social media platforms have been banned in other countries. The information reported that TikTok is prepared to shut down. (If so, you might want to download your favorite videos to your camera roll now.) Or you might be able to use the app for a while without updates until the experience becomes sluggish. Some may want to download a VPN and pretend they live in Canada. As Eva Galperin, cyber security expert from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told CBS MoneyWatchbypassing the ban that way “should work fine,” though she cautions people to be careful about which VPNs they choose.

But maybe you should leave yourself to watching Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts. In a fuck-you move, many TikTok users have flocked to RedNote, the Chinese version of Pinterest/Instagram, and are crushing their Mandarin lessons on Duolingo. The noblest of us will see this as an opportunity to log off. Can I recommend getting a loan card?