For the last several weeks, many content creators on the Chinese social media app TikTok have worried about the Supreme Court’s decision to ban it. There has been much turmoil surrounding the issue, with some creators even turning to another Chinese app, RedNote, which has become the number one free social media app in the US in a matter of hours. As of January 18 at 10:05 pm EST, TikTok was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, officiating its ban in North America. However, it appears that President-Elect Donald Trump intends to issue an executive order to extend the date for the ban on Monday, January 20.
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up. Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions. Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.”
As of right now, TikTok is fully functional, allowing me to scroll through my For You Page and other areas of the app without any issues. In fact, there are some creators who have already created content about their return to the app after posting their goodbyes just yesterday. Originally, there was a notice when users opened the app that read,
“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
The extension is expected to be 90 days long while Donald Trump takes the time to review the app and take an official course of action. Because of the election, Trump realized just how many young people who use TikTok voted for him, and I believe that is what led him to change his mind about the ban.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew posted in a video on Friday, January 17, that he is looking forward to what Trump will decide, especially considering the weight that it bears on the First Amendment. Personally, I would love to see TikTok return. However, I can imagine that if it does, it will be with heavy censorship.
