Emily Herr

A new ban on TikTok that has the internet in an uproar. TikTok, which is a video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, became unavailable to its roughly 170 million U.S. subscribers as of Saturday, January 18, 2025; as President Joe Biden’s new law banning the app took effect.
 
President-elect Donald Trump had suggested this ban in 2020, after stating that TikTok should be sold by ByteDance to a Non-Chinese owner or be banned in the United States. After refusing, the new law banning TikTok took effect.
The new law was passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.
The Supreme Court upheld the ban at a hearing on Friday stating that the national security concerns with the app outweighed freedom of speech.
President-elect Trump originally wanted to ban the app in 2020 during his first presidency. Since then, he has changed his opinion about the app. Americans everywhere are still hoping President-elect Trump will reverse the ban.
As of today, President-elect Trump stated that he would issue an executive order on Monday, January 20, 2025 that would stall the ban on TikTok. However, spectators are not fully confident in the ban being stopped.
It is still unclear if the ban can be lifted or stalled. President-elect Trump has vowed to make an executive order that will “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.
 

“I can’t believe I’m making an Instagram Reel right now because normally when something happens in the world, I go to TikTok.”
-Internet personality James Charles

“It goes against freedom of speech.”
-Elon Musk

“If TikTok went away, so would my business.”
-Entrepreneur Jen Shaffer

One goal that President-elect Trump has for the app moving forward is to arrange a deal that would give the United States a fifty percent ownership stake in a new entity that would involve TikTok. However, details are still unknown, and the possibility of such a deal is looming as just that, a thought.

The law does state that a U.S. President is able to issue a one-time extension on bans, for 90 days. Trump being able to do so, is still unclear.

The Original matter became a concern for the U.S. government because of ByteDance’s ties to the Beijing. The worry is that ByteDance could give sensitive information to the Chinese government due to laws that exist stating that the Chinese government is allowed to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens in order to gather intelligence.

Another concern of the U.S. government is that China could use TikTok to create misinformation which would add fuel to many ongoing social concerns as of date. One example was at the start of the Israel-Hamas war. It was at that time this concern was increased.

Although, TikTok has continued to maintain that it has never used data to spread misinformation or spread propaganda at the behest of Beijing in the United States. TikTok has since attempted to distance itself from the company ByteDance stating that TikTok’s headquarters are in Singapore and Los Angeles, and not in China. Still, the number of employees that work on TikTok from China has been acknowledged and has hindered TikTok’s ability to separate itself from ByteDance. TikTok is not used in China. Even though there are employees who reside in China.

How all of this will affect the ban on TikTok in the United States is still being discussed. It is the hopes of the American people that President-elect Trump will uphold his vow to lift the ban and extend the timeframe in which the ban would be unable to take effect.

 What are your thoughts on this ban? Let us know by writing thescoop@writeme.com
 

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