TikTok Ban In The US: After months of debate, a decision has been made: TikTok will be banned in the United States, but what does it imply?
After long months of uncertainty about the fate of the TikTok app, the U.S. Supreme Court has finally made a decision. TikTok will be banned as of January 19, 2025, in the United States and all its territories.
Why Is TikTok Banned In The United States?
The TikTok Ban in the US comes after a series of political issues. The U.S. raised concerns that TikTok’s owner ByteDance’s company had connections to the Chinese government and that together they would threaten U.S. national security.
The issue, which has been discussed from more than one point of view, has not presented many solutions, but only a certain and concise one: if the app is not sold to an American company, it would be banned in the territory.
Can The TikTok Ban In The US Be Reversed?
The US Supreme Court ruled that the only way to keep the application available in the US territory was to sell it to a US company. However, these are not ByteDance’s plans. Among ByteDance’s arguments was how it was violating the First Amendment of the Constitution by banning TikTok. The First Amendment advocates the right to free speech. However, this argument did not work.
ByteDance Response To The TikTok Ban
The company ByteDance argued this Friday, January 17, in its favor with the argument of the first amendment and the violation of the citizen’s right to free speech. Despite this, the supreme court made the decision to continue with the banning process, which will officially take place next Sunday, January 19, 2025.
Users’ Opinion On The Ban
The decision will impact around 170 million users of the social network. While many are saying goodbye to their followers, others are beginning to migrate to other applications such as Lemon8 and RedNote. Others have expressed concern that TikTok is their full-time job, and its ban impacts not only their community but also their income.
The app will not be removed from users’ phones, however, it will be removed from the App Store and Play Store, so it cannot be updated or downloaded. Other countries that have banned TikTok are Senegal, Iran and Afghanistan.
Also Read: Third Spaces: How To Connect In A Disconnected World?
