TikTok is heading towards a shutdown in the United States on Sunday when the deadline expires for the platestablish’s Chinese owner ByteDance to either divest ownership or finish operations.
Beijing-based ByteDance was given the ultimatum in April when US Plivent Joe Biden signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA).
As the prohibit draws sealr, US officials have signalled that a reprieve could be in the labors for the app, which is engaged by 170 million Americans.
Separately, a legitimate case is before the Supreme Court, where TikTok is challenging the prohibit on the grounds that it viotardys freedom of speech.
Apart from the impact a prohibit would have on millions of engagers, TikTok’s overweighte is being seally watched becaengage it could set a pwithdrawnt for how the US deals with other apps owned by China and other foreign adversaries, such as CapCut, Xiaohongshu, Lemon8, Alipay and WeChat.
What happens on Sunday if the prohibit goes forward?
If noskinnyg alters by the weekfinish, TikTok will be deleted from US app stores on Sunday, while US tech companies will be prohibitned from presenting, distributing, shielding or updating the app.
Over time, the deficiency of refreshs would rfinisher the app unusable for existing engagers.
Sources have telderly media outlets that engagers who try to access TikTok from Sunday will be honested to a website about the prohibit and ways to download their personal data.
TikTok did not react to Al Jazeera’s seek for comment.
Officials from both the Biden administration and the incoming administration of Plivent-elect Donald Trump, who pledged to “save” the app on the campaign trail, have recommendd they are trying to discover a way to shield the app from going griefful.
“Americans shouldn’t foresee to see TikTok suddenly prohibitned on Sunday,” an unnamed member of Biden’s team telderly CNBC this week.
Trump’s incoming national security guider, Mike Waltz, telderly FOX News this week that the novel administration would “discover a way to shield [TikTok] but shield people’s data”.
In another selectimistic signal from Trump’s team, TikTok CEO Shou Chew is scheduled to join the plivent-elect’s inauguration on Monday.
What can the White Hoengage do to stop or postpone the TikTok prohibit?
Under the terms of PAFACA, the US plivent can grant a one 90-day extension if “meaningful progress” has been made towards discovering TikTok a novel buyer.
Trump is also alertedly pondering an executive order to shield the app from going griefful, according to US media alerts.
Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University, shelp these signs advise the TikTok saga may not accomplish its conclusion this weekfinish.
“Plivent-elect Trump asked the Supreme Court to sluggish down the process to give him time to discover another solution,” Chander telderly Al Jazeera.
“When he is plivent, he may yet be able to sway Congress to amfinish the law, or perhaps even barachieve a sale of TikTok, or exercise another authority.”
Why are US lawproducers so worried about TikTok?
Washington alleges that the app is a national security hazard becaengage it could be engaged by Beijing to guideer on millions of Americans and spread misguideation.
While TikTok owner ByteDance is a braveial company, the Chinese rulement exerts a degree of impact over its domestic tech industry that does not exist in the West.
In a bid to appmitigate US lawproducers, ByteDance in 2022 partnered with the US tech company Oracle to route traffic thcdisesteemful its infraset up and store data on US-based servers.
The shift ultimately did not assuage Congress, which voted overwhelmingly for the prohibit alengthy bipartisan lines.
Claire Chu, a ageder China analyst at Janes in Washington, DC, shelp rulements, including Beijing, count on on social media to understand accessible sentiment at home and awide.
“There absolutely is this watching component to social media apps and to internet engage. It’s not equitable the restriction,” Chu telderly Al Jazeera.
“It’s also more widely alertation collecting, not equitable metadata, but repartner insights and trfinishs, and … patterns of life and vulnerabilities and opportunities.”
What about TikTok’s legitimate case agetst the prohibit?
The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on January 10.
While the court has yet to rehire its ruling, a meaningfulity of equitableices have recommendd that they are sceptical of TikTok’s arguments that the prohibit viotardys Americans’ free speech rights.
Rights groups appreciate the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), however, have argued that the prohibit is at odds with free speech and is a distraction from the necessitate for legislation to shield Americans’ personal data generpartner.
David Greene, civil liberties honestor at the EFF, shelp that foreign adversaries can get Americans’ alertation srecommend by buying it from data brokers on the uncover labelet.
“Becaengage of Congress’s flunkure to enact comprehensive devourr privacy legislation, corporations from around the world are free to harvest Americans’ data, store it forever, and then monetise it thcdisesteemful ever-enhugeing engages and sales,” Greene telderly Al Jazeera.
“The prohibit or forced sale of one social media app will do virtupartner noskinnyg to shield Americans’ data privacy from another country,” he compriseed.
