TikTok Plans Total Closure in the U.S. if Prohibition Does Not Stop
X/ @CNBCi
January 15, 2025 Hour: 8:01 am
This is a new chapter in the tense relationship between China and the U.S. over technology and national security issues.
TikTok, the popular social media platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, will completely shut down its app in the U.S. this Sunday unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes to block the ban.
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According to China Securities Journal, TikTok has decided that it “will not allow existing users to continue accessing the app after the ban, opting for an abrupt shutdown” to highlight the impact of the prohibition.
The measure follows a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2024, which requires app stores like Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms and mandates that the social network’s cloud service provider, Oracle, cease hosting user data in the U.S.
As part of the shutdown plan, users attempting to open the app after Sunday will encounter a pop-up message directing them to a website with detailed information about the ban and instructions on how to download their personal data before the app is fully deactivated.
Users will be given the option to download their personal data before the app ceases operations. Contrary to expectations, TikTok will not allow existing users to continue accessing its content after the ban.
The social media platform has appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, arguing that the ban violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech. However, questions raised by the justices during hearings suggest that the court is likely to uphold the law.
The shutdown’s impact will be immediate, affecting millions of users in the U.S., many of whom have already begun migrating to other platforms such as Xiaohongshu, known as the “Chinese Instagram,” which has gained popularity among American users in recent days.
TikTok has not issued further comments about its future in the U.S., although the situation marks a new chapter in the tense relationship between China and the U.S. over technology and national security issues.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
