WASHINGTON — TikTok faces an imminent shutdown in the United States after Congress passed a law last year forcing its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell the platform or close it by Sunday.
The US Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on TikTok’s challenge to the law.
Following a hearing last Friday, expectations are high that the law will stand.
Here is a review of what could happen next for TikTok in the United States.
App store ban
Under a ban, the US government would first direct Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, preventing new downloads as early as Sunday, a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
However, the app would remain on the phones of the existing 170 million US users unless TikTok directly blocks their access.
Although TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco stated the site would “go dark” on Sunday if the justices fail to block the ban, many observers doubt ByteDance would unilaterally hit the off switch for American users.
TikTok indicated as much in a memo to staff, cited in the Verge on Tuesday.
“Our offices will remain open” regardless of what happens on January 19th and employees will keep their jobs.
“The bill is not written in a way that impacts the entities through which you are employed, only the US user experience,” the memo said.
Alternatives
Once banned, the assumption is that TikTok users will move to other apps, like Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts, TikTok copycats that have grown and will directly benefit from their rival’s demise.
Elon Musk’s X could also benefit and the tycoon has made it known that he wants his platform, formerly Twitter, to more closely resemble TikTok, with video content and shopping features.
Trump has expressed concern that a ban would primarily advantage Meta-owned Instagram, which may explain Mark Zuckerberg’s recent public support for Trump.
Some American content creators have already migrated to Xiaohongshu (Red Note), another Chinese social media app that recently topped the Apple App Store downloads.
