TikTok Braces for Possible U.S. Shutdown This Sunday – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:30 PM – Wednesday, January 15, 2025
TikTok is set to discontinue its service for all users in the United States on Sunday, unless there’s intervention from the Supreme Court to halt the action.
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According to a report by The Information, U.S. users attempting to access TikTok will encounter a notification directing them to a page with information regarding the ban, alongside the option to download their stored data from the app.
However, the company’s approach goes beyond the legal stipulations, which require app store operators like Google and Apple to halt new downloads of TikTok while still allowing current users to access the app on their devices.
A source noted that the shutdown of such services does not necessitate extensive planning, stating that regular operations have continued as normal this week. If the ban is lifted later, TikTok representatives assured they could restore services for U.S. users relatively quickly.
TikTok officials have indicated that the platform will cease operations in the U.S. by January 19th, unless the Supreme Court issues a ruling against the order or postpones the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest from the platform.
The Biden administration had previously directed the Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok, which boasts approximately 170 million users in the U.S., citing “national security” concerns.
This legislation, signed into law by President Biden on April 24th, 2024, is known as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” prohibiting any entity from distributing, maintaining, or updating applications controlled by foreign adversaries.
The administration is reportedly concerned about the extensive data collection by the Chinese app, which could be leveraged by the Chinese government to potentially manipulate or coerce U.S. citizens.
Additionally, there are worries that China could use TikTok to advance its geopolitical goals by spreading disinformation during times of crisis.
“In response to those grave national-security threats, Congress did not impose any restriction on speech, much less one based on viewpoint or content. Instead, Congress restricted only foreign adversary control: TikTok may continue operating in the United States and presenting the same content from the same users in the same manner if its current owner executes a divestiture that frees the platform from the [People’s Republic of China’s] control,” stated the Justice Department.
Conversely, TikTok users and content creators contend that the ban is “unconstitutional,” asserting that it infringes on their “right to free speech” and artistic expression.
“Rarely, if ever, has the court faced a free-speech case that affects so many individuals,” wrote attorneys representing TikTok users and creators.
TikTok further argues that the proposed ban “will silence the voices of creators and the countless Americans who use the platform to discuss political issues, commerce, arts, and other significant social matters.”
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