A TikTok ban in the US has been seriously considered for a few years now, by both major political parties. In fact, the ban is coming very soon, and could even potentially mean TikTok will no longer be available in the US. However, there are nuances to the TikTok ban saga, and we will go through why a ban is being proposed and when the ban could take effect.
Why Is TikTok Being Banned?
Before we answer the question “When is TikTok getting banned?” we will go over why there is a proposed ban in the first place. The current political administration has been spearheading a TikTok ban due to the popular social media platform being perceived as being a national security risk. Due to app data going to mainland China, the US government believes this is dangerous. Their response is to have a total ban on TikTok in America.
The US government is no stranger to having a frosty relationship with China due to security concerns. In 2022, the US government banned Huawei equipment, alongside a few other Chinese brands, due to a cited security concern.
To support its reasons for banning TikTok, the United States Department of Justice released a statement conveying it had proof the app was sending personal user data to China. The accusation was also made that suggests certain users are being censored for speaking on certain topics, although this has not been proven.
When Is TikTok Getting Banned?
US officials have stated that they will ban TikTok on January 19th, 2025. However, this is not a date set in stone, and there are several factors affecting the date either changing, or not being the date a ban goes into effect at all.
TikTok will only get banned if the platform’s company cannot or will not find a US-based company that will manage the app’s US-based users, as well as make sure no data from those users is being transmitted to China.
If the platform demonstrates it is willing to work with US regulators, they will receive a 90-day deadline extension if they need more time to implement changes.The best-case scenario the US would like to see is that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance sells off the platform’s US-based app. In such a situation, the proposed ban will be completely lifted. Essentially, it is allowed to keep operating in the US if it sells its US app to a US company.
Another potential delay of the January 2025 deadline could come in the form of TikTok’s parent company appealing the decision the US government makes. This could result in a long-term legal battle that keeps the app operating, but with a future ultimately determined by the courts. Currently, this scenario is seen as being quite likely given First Amendment support of the app operating as-is.
Conclusion
The question of “When is TikTok getting banned?” is one whose answer is a bit nuanced. As you now can see, a ban on the app could happen as soon as January 19th, 2025. This means it would no longer be available to download in the App Store or Play Store. However, the most likely outcome is that a compromise will be struck and the app’s 170 million US users will be able to continue enjoying the TikTok.
