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TikTok could soon disappear in the United States.
Unless its parent company ByteDance is able to sell TikTok to an American company, it is set to go dark for its more than 170 million users in the country. That is in line with a law, passed early last year, based on accusations that TikTok is dangerously close to the Chinese government.
While the law only requires that TikTok is taken down from Google and Apple app stores, TikTok has indicated that it will take itself offline completely. Users of the app will instead be shown a notification that will direct them to a web page to read more about the ban, it has suggested.
But a range of last-minute updates mean that shutdown could be postponed or cancelled entirely.
Joe Biden may not enforce the ban on Sunday, reports have suggested. That would leave the future of TikTok in the hands of Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated as president the following day and appears to be favouring a reversal of the ban.
TikTok may still be sold to one of many Americans who have expressed an interest in buying it, though ByteDance has made clear that it does not intend to sell the app. The Supreme Court is also yet to rule on TikTok’s challenge to the law, and it is set to release a decision that may relate to the TikTok ban early on Friday.
Chinese says it is not illegally collecting TikTok users’ data
The Chinese government has denied accusations that it is illegally collecting user data. It “has never and will never” require companies or individuals to collect data for or provide data to it in a way that violates the law, the foreign ministry said on Friday.
The ministry spokesperson was responding to a question about six Chinese companies including TikTok, Shein, Xiaomi, which have been named in a privacy complaint filed by Austrian advocacy group Noyb claiming the firms were unlawfully sending European Union user data to China.
Andrew Griffin17 January 2025 11:17
Republican senator says TikTok is ‘a Chinese communist spy app’
Republican Senator Tom Cotton opposed an effort to extend TikTok’s ban deadline, saying it posed too great of a threat to allow for any concessions or compromises.
“TikTok isn’t just another social media platform,” Cotton said. “TikTok is a Chinese Communist spy app that addicts our kids, harvests their data, targets them with harmful and manipulative and spreads Communist propoganda.”
His opposition was to Senator Ed Markey’s attempt to introduce legislation that would extend the deadline thus giving TikTok more time to work out a deal or at least allow President-elect Donald Trump to weigh-in.
“No extensions, no concession and no compromises for TikTok,” Cotton said.
Ariana Baio17 January 2025 11:00
Is TikTok’s Chinese alternative any safer than the app facing a potential US ban?
China-based RedNote has experienced a huge surge in downloads from users in the US and worldwide as the 19 January deadline for the US TikTok ban approaches.
The app, a mix of Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, is one of the most popular in China and reached the top spot in the UK app download charts this week. Those migrating to the platform, officially called Xiaohongshu, or “Little Red Book,” have been warmly welcomed. Chinese and Western users collaborate on the app, teaching each other English or Mandarin, helping with homework, or sharing jokes about the looming TikTok ban.
Like TikTok, RedNote is owned by a Chinese company, Xingyin Information Technology. Chartered security expert James Bore says that, like most social media platforms, RedNote prioritises growth and engagement over user privacy. However, the platform’s governance under Chinese law sets it apart.
“The difference is that China has a law that the government must have a stake in companies,” he told The Independent. “This is not a secret, it’s written into Chinese law so that they can overrule things and make sure there’s nothing that threatens the Chinese state. That’s a level of interference in companies that we’re not really used to in the West.”
Cybersecurity expert Rob Pritchard added: “I doubt there is a particular risk to individuals, but the broader implications are interesting. It’s not the effect the US government wanted to achieve, I’m sure.”
When users sign up for RedNote, they must accept terms and conditions presented only in Mandarin, leaving many unaware of what they’re agreeing to.
“I saw the terms and conditions for this app and I just clicked it. I didn’t even try to read that,” said new RedNote user Kelsey Higginbottom in a clip.
Athena Stavrou17 January 2025 09:00
TikTok refugees welcomed by alternative Chinese apps ahead of ban
TikTok users in the US have reported receiving a warm welcome on other Chinese-owned apps amid a looming ban on the hugely popular social media platform.
China-based Lemon8 and RedNote have both experienced a surge in downloads from US users as the 19 January deadline for the TikTok ban approaches, each topping the app charts.
Anthony Cuthbertson reports:
Anthony Cuthbertson17 January 2025 07:00
Watch: Democrat leader promise to work with Trump administration on TikTok
Ariana Baio17 January 2025 05:00
TikTok influencer reacts to potential ban: ‘It might be great. It might be awful.’
As President Biden signs the TikTok ban bill into law, giving the app’s China-based parent company nine months to sell, fashion influencer Bridget Brown explains uncertainty she feels around the future of her career.
Read more from Kaleigh Werner:
Kaleigh Werner17 January 2025 03:00
Biden will not enforce TikTok ban, AP reports
President Joe Biden does not plan to enforce the ban on TikTok that is set to take effect Sunday, the last full day of his presidency, according to a Thursday night report from the Associated Press.
This means the fate of the app will be in President-elect Donald Trump’s hands when he takes office on Monday, January 20.
“Our interpretation of the law that Congress passed is that absent a credible plan from the company on how they will divest, the President does not have statutory authority to trigger the 90 day extension,” a senior White House official told Politico. “The company has not only not advanced such a plan, they have signaled they have no intention of selling it to an American owner.”
“Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement,” the official added.
Katie Hawkinson17 January 2025 01:41
Biden administration unlikely to intervene before Sunday
Though lawmakers have tried to lobby President Joe Biden to sign a 90-day extension to the TikTok ban, preventing the popular platform from going dark, the White House signaled it won’t do so.
“Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership. Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement,” a White House official told ABC News.
Ariana Baio17 January 2025 01:00
TikTok CEO to attend Trump’s inauguration as app’s fate hangs in the balance
TikTok CEO Shou Chew may not have a social media platform to run by Sunday but he is still invited to, and expected to attend, Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday in Washington D.C.
Ariana Baio16 January 2025 23:00
Preparing to flee TikTok, users begin learning Mandarin
Duolingo has seen a 216 percent increase in the number of users learning Mandarin compared to this time last year – a sign that young people are willing to learn the language that is widely spoken on platforms alternative to TikTok.
RedNote (Xiaohongshu) has exploded in popularity due to the looming TikTok ban. But it’s designed for a Chinese audience, so the app’s default language is Mandarin Chinese. This has apparently prompted people to learn some of the language so they can use the app.
Ariana Baio16 January 2025 22:20
