Tik tok, tik tok, how soon will the app disappear from your phone if you live in the United States?

So you’ve probably heard by now that US President Joe Biden has signed a law giving Tik Tok one year to sell or be banned from the US. 

The law is unlikely to immediately disrupt TikTok operations because the legal battle will take months or even years to resolve. In March, TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew said he’d rather the company be banned in the US than sell.  Well, the Americans have called his bluff. 

But naturally, Shou isn’t taking this lying down.  He’s already promised a strong challenge to what he calls an “unconstitutional bill” in Federal court. 

Plus, we anticipate strong resistance from the Chinese government so this is really a case of the US vs China. 

Now, there were reports that TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, was considering selling the app WITHOUT the algorithm.  Turns out that’s fake news.  ByteDance has denied this.

But if the TikTok ban does happen, this will be monumental!  It will significantly alter business operations by TikTok and ByteDance. 

Believe it or not, the United States boasts the highest number of TikTok users worldwide, with almost 150 million Americans visiting the platform each month.

Creators and business owners would be the most impacted, since they depend on TikTok to promote their business or directly monetize by earning gifts from fans.

So what happens if TikTok isn’t sold within a year? Well, the law could prohibit web hosting services from supporting TikTok, and force Google and Apple to remove the app from their stores, ultimately making it unusable.

Web hosting services are companies that provide the technology and services for a website or app to be accessible on the internet.  They ensure it runs smoothly and is always accessible.  They store the website or app’s files on servers and make them available to users.  So essentially, it would be illegal for US companies to do business with TikTok.

We did another video about the TikTok ban back in March, so check that out if you want more details.

Now it’s also important to pay attention to the politics.  The bill was passed with bipartisan support, which suggests that American politicians feel strongly that TikTok poses a lot of privacy and national security concerns.  I mean, the argument was compelling enough to get President Biden’s signature.

But it’s not over yet for Tik Tok.  The tides could turn, even in Tik Tok’s favour.  The proposed ban would occur after this November’s presidential election in the United States.  If the administration changes, the dynamics of the issue could also change.  

And that’s the bottom line.