Is January 19 The End Of TikTok In The US?

As the January 19 deadline looms, It appears that the new platform is thriving.

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Is January 19 The End Of TikTok In The US?

Is TikTok Stopping in the US After January 19?

TikTok’s fate in the US hangs in the balance as the company faces a January 19 deadline to sell the app or risk a ban. This comes after a federal appeals court decision upheld a law signed by President Biden in April 2024, aimed at protecting US citizens from “foreign adversary controlled applications.”

The court’s unanimous decision denied TikTok’s argument that the law was unconstitutional, citing that it “survives constitutional scrutiny.”

This ruling has significant implications for TikTok’s 170 million US users, who may soon find themselves without access to the popular video-sharing app.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance has been given a 270-day window to sell the app which expires on January 19. If no sale occurs, the app will be banned in the US.

The company’s only hope lies in appealing to the US Supreme Court, although experts believe it’s unlikely the court will rule in TikTok’s favour.

The US government’s concerns about TikTok’s ties to the Chinese state have been a long-standing issue. Despite TikTok’s denials of any wrongdoing, the court agreed that the law was “carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary.”

Also Read: Social Media Ban For Under 16s: Australia Passes World’s First Law On It.

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed opposition to the ban, despite previously attempting to ban the app himself in 2020. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to intervene on TikTok’s behalf.

The potential ban has major implications for TikTok creators and users, who may need to find alternative platforms.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp has already begun building rivals to TikTok’s short-form videos like reels and other formats. It was said that TikTok users in the US are migrating to a Chinese app called RedNote, as the threat to ban the former is nearing.

Also, read| “TikTok Refugees” Flock To Chinese App RedNote Ahead Of US Ban

The move by users who call themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store. As the January 19 deadline looms, It appears that the new platform is thriving.

While some experts predict a ban would benefit Meta, YouTube, RedNote and Snap, others argue that TikTok’s unique algorithm and technical infrastructure cannot be easily replicated.