On Friday, January 17, 2025, the United States ultimate Court rejected an appeal made by TikTok, which means that the ban on the operation of this popular social platform in the US will enter into force as early as January 19, 2025. This decision marks a fresh chapter in American-Chinese technological relations and is of large importance for 170 million application users in the US.
Why was TikTok banned?
The ultimate Court's decision was made in the context of national safety concerns. TikTok, a Chinese technological giant ByteDance, was accused of being subject to Chinese regulations that could force companies to cooperate with authorities in collecting intelligence data. The American government claims that the app would possibly let Chinese services access to the private data of millions of Americans.
In April 2024, the U.S. legislature passed a bill imposing an work on TikTok to sale the American part of its activities. TikTok had until 19 January 2025 to find a fresh buyer. Otherwise, the platform will be excluded from the US market.
What does a ban mean for users?
TikTok's ban will have respective key effects:
- Removing applications from mobile platforms: Apple and Google will be required to remove TikTok from their stores. fresh users will not be able to download the app.
- No Update: People who already have the app installed will inactive be able to usage it, but the deficiency of updates will make the application little functional and little secure.
- Gradual decrease in activity: As time goes on, the platform can become practically useless.
Donald Trump and TikTok's Future in the USA
TikTok's ban coincides with the inauguration of Donald Trump for president of the United States, scheduled for January 20, 2025. The erstwhile president, who himself initiated attempts to block TikTok in 2020, now changed his position. According to the U.S. press, Trump is considering signing a decree that will postpone the date of the sale of the American part of TikTok by a fewer months. It is possible that a decisive influence on his change of head was the fact that he had close to 15 million subscribers on this platform.
Can TikTok avoid a ban?
To avoid exclusion from the US market, TikTok would gotta sale his U.S. business to an U.S. entity. However, specified a process is complicated and requires the consent of many parties. So far ByteDance has resisted sales demands, arguing that there is no evidence of users' data being utilized for spy purposes.
Global context
TikTok's ban in the US is part of a wider conflict between the United States and China in the area of technology and data. TikTok has previously faced bans in India and regulatory pressures in Europe. U.S. decisions can inspire another countries to take akin steps.
Summary
The ultimate Court decision marks the beginning of a fresh era for TikTok in the United States. The platform, which gained large popularity, faced a major challenge: either sale its American business or vanish from the market. American users request to prepare for the deficiency of access to this platform in the close future. Meanwhile, as political variations show, TikTok's past in the U.S. may inactive take an unexpected turn.
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