TikTok ready to pull the plug in the US this Sunday

Currently evaluated between $40 billion and $50 billion, TikTok US has less than a week left until it will have to shut down its operations. That would leave no fewer than 170 million users looking for an alternative, such as Bluesky or X. Speaking of X, the Chinese hope that Elon Musk will step in and take over TikTok's US branch. If this occurs, the two social media apps are likely to merge. The takeover will take time for regulators to approve, so everything can be considered a rumor for the time being.

According to a report by The Information, quoted by Reuters,

"TikTok plans to shut off its app for U.S. users on Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect, unless the Supreme Court moves to block it."

However, the law that President Biden signed last year does not mandate this. While it would ban app downloads on Apple's or Google's app stores, the law would allow existing users to continue using it. However, the long-term effect would be a slow but steady decrease in the number of users.

If TikTok faces a ban and nothing changes, the company intends to display an in-app message that directs users to a webpage containing information about the issue. Additionally, they plan to provide users with the option to download all data from their existing accounts before losing access to them.

Regardless of what happens on Sunday, a hypothetical retaliatory ban from China on a US company such as Micron could potentially lead to an agreement between the parties in the coming weeks. An estimation by TikTok that was made in a court filing last month claims that one third of the 170 million users in the US would stop accessing the service if the ban lasts a month, so it is very likely to have an ending to this story by mid-February, one way or another.

While useful for college students, First Things First: A Modern Coursebook on Free Speech Fundamentals is an interesting read for all those interested in the First Ammendment and contemporary US censorship. The Kindle version is currently 81% off, so it can be acquired for $2.99 instead of $16, while the paperback edition goes for $12.99 (thanks to a 19% discount applied to the same $16 list price).