Jan 19, 2025Ravie LakshmananSocial Media / Data PrivacyPopular video-sharing social network TikTok has officially gone dark in the United States, 2025, as a federal ban on the app comes into effect on January 19, 2025."We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable," the company said in a pop-up message. "We're working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned."An immediate outcome of the ban means that existing users will no longer be able to access TikTok content, and new users won't be able to download the app from the official app stores for Android and iOS. Other apps from its parent company ByteDance, including CapCut, Lemon8, and Gauth, have become unavailable as well.The development comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously to uphold a law requiring that its ByteDance sell TikTok or see it be effectively blocked in the country due to national security reasons and fears that its recommendation algorithm could be vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities.The court further noted that TikTok's scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, coupled with the vast amounts of personal information that it collects about users, merits a "differential treatment" with regards to First Amendment rights."There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the court wrote in its decision."But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary."Following the ruling, the White House said TikTok should remain available to U.S. users either under American ownership or another entity that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing the law. The legislation was formally passed in April 2024.The law was the culmination of a yearslong debate that TikTok's Chinese ownership raises the risk that data on U.S. users could fall into the hands of Beijing or be used for pushing propaganda. TikTok has repeatedly maintained it operates independently of the government and has not received any requests about its data, while ByteDance has said it has no plans to divest the business."The Court's decision enables the Justice Department to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine America's national security," said Attorney General Garland. "Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to millions of Americans' sensitive data."The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), in a statement, expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court's decision to upload the TikTok ban, stating there are several ways that America's foes could steal, scrape, or buy its citizens' data."The ban or forced sale of one social media app will do virtually nothing to protect Americans' data privacy only comprehensive consumer privacy legislation can achieve that goal," the EFF said."Shutting down communications platforms or forcing their reorganization based on concerns of foreign propaganda and anti-national manipulation is an eminently anti-democratic tactic, one that the US has previously condemned globally."However, there are indications the app may get a reprieve. Speaking to NBC News, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he would "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day extension from the ban after he takes office on Monday.TikTok has faced similar issues in several countries, most famously leading to an outright ban in India in June 2020. Late last year, the Canadian government ordered TikTok to dissolve its operations in the country, citing national security risks.That said, the TikTok blockade has had the unintended consequence of users migrating to other Chinese alternatives such as RedNote (aka Xiaohongshu), rather than Instagram and YouTube, likely posing a fresh challenge for lawmakers concerned about foreign influence or interference via social media."I'm concerned that Americans are flocking to a number of adversary-owned social media platforms," Virginia Senator Mark Warner said in a post on Bluesky. "We still need a comprehensive and risk-based approach to assessing and mitigating the risks of foreign-owned apps."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE