TikTok Set To “Go Dark” In The US Amid Supreme Court Ruling.
TikTok has announced it will be forced to suspend its operations in the United States this Sunday, unless the government intervenes to clarify its position on a looming ban. In a statement issued late Friday, the social media giant expressed that the White House and the Department of Justice have “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability”.
The company stated categorically that without immediate government assurance against punishment for breaching the ban, TikTok would be “forced to go dark on January 19”. This follows the US Supreme Court’s decision earlier on Friday to uphold a law mandating the sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by Sunday to avoid a nationwide ban.
Originally passed in April of last year, this law stipulates that ByteDance must divest the US operations of TikTok to a neutral party to prevent an outright ban. TikTok contested this law, arguing it infringes upon the free speech rights of its 170 million American users. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling has set the stage for the app to be removed from app stores and web hosting services unless a buyer emerges before the deadline.
Although it was initially thought that existing users might continue to access TikTok, the latest statement suggests the app could become immediately unavailable even for those with it already installed, as updates would cease, eventually rendering the application unusable.
The timing coincides with the end of President Joe Biden’s term on Monday, with Donald Trump set to take office. The White House has indicated that the enforcement of the law would fall to the incoming administration. Trump, who has shown a change of heart regarding TikTok since his initial support for a ban, commented on Friday, “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation.” He also noted his recent conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where TikTok was among the topics discussed.
Trump’s current stance marks a significant shift from his previous attempts during his first term to ban the app via executive order. ByteDance, on its part, has steadfastly refused to sell TikTok, indicating plans to shut down US operations unless there’s a last-minute reprieve.
The legislative journey to this point has been fraught with tension:
24 April 2024: President Biden signed a bipartisan bill giving ByteDance six months to sell its stake or face a US ban.
7 May 2024: TikTok challenged the law in court, decrying it as an “extraordinary intrusion on free speech rights”.
2 August 2024: The US government accused TikTok of illegally harvesting children’s data, escalating legal battles.
6 December 2024: A federal appeals court dismissed TikTok’s effort to overturn the ban law.
27 December 2024: Trump, as President-elect, requested the Supreme Court to hold off on the ban to allow for a “political resolution”.
10 January 2025: The Supreme Court heard arguments, with TikTok and its creators arguing the ban violated free speech.
17 January 2025: The Supreme Court upheld the ban law, setting the stage for current developments.
19 January 2025: The critical deadline for TikTok’s fate in the US.
As the deadline looms, influencers and content creators on TikTok have been sharing emotional farewells to their audiences, reflecting a significant cultural impact of the app in the US. The debate continues over national security versus freedom of expression, with no clear resolution in sight as of yet.
