The United States is about to undergo a massive digital shakeup, with global implications. TikTok users worldwide are likely to see a radical change on the landscape of the app on January 19, 2025, after the US Supreme Court on January 19 upheld a law that protects Americans’ ability to ‘talk freely to corporate forces.’
The decision orders ByteDance, the Chinese holding company for TikTok, to sell the app to a US entity. If TikTok doesn’t comply, it will be removed from US app stores and web hosting services, he said.
It is has been years in the making on national security concerns. Now ByteDance has to decide whether it can comply with the new rules or leave one of its biggest markets.
The ruling arises out of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA). The act was enacted in April 2024 aiming to solve the data privacy and national security risks connected to the foreign owned apps.
ByteDance has repeatedly maintained it has no connection to the Chinese government. But US lawmakers insist, worried by the possibility personal user data could be misused.
Although this decision is a direct blow to US users, it won’t be contained within the country’s borders. We expect ripple effects for UK TikTok users and content creators to feel as well.
The one big issue for UK users is that content they enjoy from American creators can be interrupted. A ban would weaken the diversity of the platform, because many of the trends of the platform, as well as its popular content originates the US.
Others could also experience challenge: UK influencers reliant on global audiences. Having a large portion of their viewers in the US, creators could expect their engagement and income to suffer.
The situation could also also impede the development of new trends on the platform. US users were historically instrumental in developing how content was shaped on TikTok and growing its creative community.
As the ban looms, alternative platforms are already starting to catch on. The Texas based video and livestreaming app, Clapper, has become wildly popular, reaching number three of free iPhone app downloads.
Equally promising is RedNote, a Shanghai based Xingyin Information Technology owned platform. Users hoping for refuge from TikTok’s murky future have come flooding in to both platforms.
Even so, generating alternatives to TikTok, if promising, shouldn’t fully replicate everything TikTok provides, including its creative and economic ecosystem. For many users and creators, it will take time and major work to get accustomed to a new platform.
ByteDance has limited options before the January 19 deadline. If the company is unable to find a buyer, then it will have to shut down operating in the US — an impact that could harm millions of users.
Donald Trump, president elect, says he is willing to consider ways to keep the app up and running. Although his rhetoric was all about increased social restrictions, he’s since backpedaled, talking about TikTok as a ‘unique platform’.
Trump’s comments have raised questions of political calculation to salvage the app. But experts doubt any compromise will be struck prior to the required deadline.
More than a disruption of the British people’s favorite entertainment, the ban is simply a threat to the UK’s future and prosperity. All these incidents remind us that digital platforms are fundamentally interconnected, and that a decision taken in one country can reach millions of people around the globe.
The world’s TikTok community remains on edge as the deadline approaches. Whether or not the app will live to see another update day, the fact is, it remains an absence in the digital world.
The ban is largely a US policy initiative, but the consequences are global. For UK users, the attention now turns to how they adapt to this new environment.