TikTok is running out of time to overturn the ban on it in the US, which is due to take effect on Sunday January 19.
Earlier in January its Chinese owner, Bytedance, appealed to the supreme court to set aside the ban, arguing that it infringed its free speech rights; however, the court has not yet reached a determination on the issue.
The ban was signed into law by Joe Biden after being passed by Congress in April, and gave Bytedance until January to find a buyer for app or see it closed down in the US. The law was passed in response to national security concerns relating to the app, which include fears that it could be used to spread Chinese government propaganda.
The situation is further complicated by the involvement of Donald Trump, who supported a ban in 2020 but has now changed his mind after finding the video-sharing app was an effective way of reaching voters. He has asked the supreme court to stay the ban until after he takes office on January 20.
There have also been rumours that TikTok could be sold to Elon Musk who already owns the X platform (formerly Twitter).
But why was the ban proposed in the first place, when would it be introduced and what are the alternatives to the app that some Americans are using?
Why would TikTok be banned in the US?
Arguments were made before the supreme court by Bytedance and TikTok citing free speech rights on Friday January 10, with opponents focusing predominantly on national security risks. US policymakers and officials are concerned about the potential for the misuse of personal data and the risk of espionage or other malicious activities.
“This is the most significant free speech case in at least a generation,” said Timothy Edgar, a former US national security and intelligence official who has worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations.
“If we consider that there are 170 million active monthly users of TikTok in the United States, the volume of free speech at risk is the largest of any supreme court case in American history,” added Edgar, who now teaches cybersecurity at Brown University and joined a brief backing TikTok in the case.
How would a TikTok ban work?
TikTok plans to keep paying US employees even if the supreme court does not overturn the law that would force the sale of the short-video app in the US or ban it, the company’s leadership said in an internal memo reviewed by news agency Reuters on Tuesday January 14.
The memo to TikTok employees said: “I cannot emphasise enough that your wellbeing is a top priority and so most importantly, I want to reinforce that as employees in the US, your employment, pay, and benefits are secure, and our offices will remain open, even if this situation hasn’t been resolved before the January 20 deadline.”
Plans for a shutdown of the app are to go ahead on Sunday January 19, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect, according to a report by The Information reported on Tuesday – unless the supreme court moves to block it.
People attempting to open the app will reportedly view a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban.
If TikTok shuts off for all US users, the outcome would be different from that mandated by the law. It would amount to a ban only on new TikTok downloads on Apple, opening a new tab or Google and app store restrictions; however, people already on the app could continue to use it, at least for the time being.
Alternatives people are using
People in the US have discovered a whole host of social media apps to use as an alternative for TikTok. Here are some that are less commonly known…
As the threat of a TikTok ban looms, defiant US TikTok users have flocked to the Chinese social media app RedNote.
Seemingly overnight, a TikTok rival known as Xiaohangshu, which means “Little Red Book” in Mandarin (Rednote for short), became the most downloaded free app on the iOS App Store in the US.
Many are referring to themselves as “TikTok refugees” on the Chinese social media app, which combines e-commerce, short video and posting functions.
The app has gained traction in China and other regions and countries with a Chinese diaspora such as Malaysia and Taiwan in recent years, racking up 300 million monthly active users.
Clapper, is considered a TikTok clone, and has also been growing in popularity. The app was launched in 2020 by Dallas-based entrepreneur Edison Chen and focuses on Gen X and millennial users.
In September that year, the company described itself in a Facebook post as a “free speech” platform that did not “censor posts and comments”. But in a 2021 blog post on its website, the company said it had “stopped being a ‘Free Speech’ platform” in September 2020 and “changed its mission and goals” to focus on “community”.
Twitch has been described as an alternative to TikTok Live feeds and features livestreamed videos.
The Amazon-owned platform, which was founded in 2011, is a leader in the streaming industry and allows users on the platform to watch some of the internet’s most popular streamers, such as Kai Cenat.
Twitch is a platform for music broadcasts, creative content and “in real life” streams and says it attracts 105 million monthly visitors.