Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to support a ban on TikTok, the popular video-sharing app may face shutdown as soon as this Sunday.

The future of TikTok remains unclear after the court rejected parent company ByteDance’s claim that banning the app violates users’ free speech. This uncertainty arises because the outgoing Democratic administration has indicated it won’t enforce the ban, which was enacted by President Biden.

Donald Trump, who initially proposed the TikTok ban in 2020 citing national security concerns, now believes there is a possibility to keep the app operational in the U.S. The ban requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or find someone else to manage its U.S. operations.

Trump shared on his Truth Social platform that he will make a decision regarding TikTok “in the near future,” but needs time to assess the situation. “Stay tuned!” he added.

In a video released on Friday on TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, the app’s CEO, reassured users that they will do everything possible to ensure the platform remains a place for creativity and inspiration. He expressed gratitude and mentioned that further updates will follow.

In a statement made Friday evening, TikTok emphasized the need for more clarity from the Biden administration and the Justice Department regarding the enforcement of the ban starting Sunday.

“Unless the Biden Administration provides a clear assurance to key service providers to confirm non-enforcement, TikTok will regrettably have to cease operations on January 19,” the statement sent to YSL News read.

What time will TikTok shut down?

Given that the ban takes effect on January 19, it is anticipated that the app could officially shut down just after 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday.

However, there is ambiguity surrounding this timeline. Theresa Payton, a cybersecurity expert and former White House chief information officer, stated, “With the Supreme Court upholding the ban, we are entering a gray area regarding the ban’s implementation.”

“We won’t have clarity until midnight on January 19 on how this will unfold,” Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions, added.

What is the reason behind the U.S. government’s intention to ban TikTok?

During his first term, Trump advocated for banning TikTok, raising concerns that the Chinese-owned platform posed a national security threat by collecting data on Americans that could be shared with Beijing.

TikTok has consistently denied ever being asked to hand over U.S. user data to the Chinese government and stated it wouldn’t comply if requests were made.

In 2020, Trump declared a national emergency concerning TikTok, stating the app potentially allowed China to access “Americans’ personal information,” which could enable tracking of federal employees, blackmail, and corporate espionage.

Trump’s attempts to ban the app during his first term faced legal challenges from several judges.

In 2021, Biden issued a new executive order claiming that ByteDance continues to pose a threat to the U.S.’s national security, foreign policy, and economy, charging the Commerce Department to evaluate the risks associated with TikTok and similar apps.

In December 2022, Biden enacted a law prohibiting TikTok’s use on government devices and subsequently legislation was developed to ban the app in the U.S. unless specific criteria were met.

Congress voted on a potential ban in April 2024. Before the vote, lawmakers voiced concerns about possible espionage and propaganda from Beijing via TikTok. Following intelligence briefings from the Biden administration, senators from both parties expressed strong belief in TikTok’s national security threats.

The Senate passed the ban bill as part of a $95 billion foreign aid package with a 79-18 vote. The House had earlier approved the TikTok section of the bill with a 360-58 vote, leading to Biden signing it into law.

Although TikTok users might be skeptical about the necessity for action, “they haven’t experienced what Congress has witnessed,” stated Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on the Senate floor before the April 2024 vote.

“They haven’t participated in classified briefings where deeper insights into foreign control of TikTok’s threats were examined,” Warner elaborated.

Is a TikTok ban inevitable? Not necessarily, and here’s why

In a surprising turn, Trump might issue an executive order stating that TikTok could actually benefit national security, as it remains a more favorable option than other Chinese-owned apps like RedNote, which faces censorship by the Communist Party, according to Anupam Chander, a professor at Georgetown Law School.

According to Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives, he anticipates the Trump administration to delay the enforcement of the ban or instruct the Justice Department not to impose the law, enabling Apple and Google to retain TikTok in their app stores.

Such an order would also permit internet service providers and hosting companies to maintain TikTok’s assets and data on their systems for now, he remarked. “Behind the scenes, we believe the Trump Administration is actively preparing for a deal concerning TikTok’s future,” Ives suggested.

Elon Musk could also play a significant role in keeping TikTok operational in the U.S. by either acquiring its U.S. operations or overseeing the proposed deal, Ives informed YSL News. “Musk has a unique relationship with the Trump administration and may be the only one who Beijing would allow to execute this purchase,” Ives observed.

(This story was updated to include new information.)

Contributors: Riley Beggin, Greta Cross, Maureen Groppe, Jessica Guynn, Bailey Schulz, and Mary Walrath-Holdridge of YSL News; Reuters.

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