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Is TikTok really getting banned this month? What to know before the Supreme Court hearing

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Is TikTok really getting banned this month? What to know before the Supreme Court hearing

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The fate of one of America’s most used-social media platforms is in the balance of U.S. lawmakers arguing the Chinese-owned app poses a national security threat.

This Friday, representatives of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance will plead to the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the decision of a looming ban later this month.

On April 24, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law that will require ByteDance to sell the app by Jan. 19. If it fail to do so by the deadline, TikTok will no longer be available to download and internet service providers will be legally prohibited from allowing access on U.S. internet browsers.

It’s also uncertain what President-elect Donald Trump‘s role in a potential ban will be when he takes office on Jan. 20. While he tried to ban the app during his first term, he has expressed a change of heart during his 2024 campaign.

At December Mar-a-Lago press conference, he admitted TikTok has a “warm spot in my heart” as he credited the app for a boost of support from young voters.

“It’s a tough decision to make,” Trump told CNBC in a March interview. “Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok who love it.”

Here’s what to know about the pending TikTok ultimatum.

When would TikTok be banned?

The U.S. ban on TikTok would go into effect as soon as Jan. 19 if ByteDance does not sell the platform by then.

When will Supreme Court review the TikTok ban?

The Supreme Court is set to review TikTok’ arguments on Friday, Jan. 10, just over a week before the ban could be implemented.

What is TikTok asking the Supreme Court to do?

TikTok wants SCOTUS to overturn a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which states that the legislation’s infringement of free speech rights is justified because of national security concerns.

When could the TikTok ban go into place?

The ban will go into place on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, if ByteDance does not sell the platform by then.

Could TikTok be bought?

Though China has been vocal in the past about its opposition to selling TikTok, billionaire Frank McCourt has expressed his interest in purchasing the U.S. portion of the platform with a group of associates. McCourt, founder of Project Liberty and executive chairman of McCourt Global, said a consortium of associates has verbally pledged up to $20 billion for the purchase.

However, if McCourt purchased TikTok, it would only be the U.S. portion and would not include TikTok’s algorithm, which China sees as its intellectual property, McCourt told CBS’ “Face the Nation” earlier this month.

Will Donald Trump save TikTok?

Trump’s vision for TikTok when he takes office is unclear. Despite steps he took during his first term to ward off ByteDance, he has expressed different feelings for the app more recently.

Last week, Trump said during a press conference that he has a “warm spot” for TikTok in his heart, as he believes the app helped him gain ground with young voters in the 2024 presidential election.

“TikTok had an impact, and so we’re taking a look at it,” Trump said. “I have a little bit of a warm spot in my heart. I’ll be honest.”

Trump’s team did not respond to a USA TODAY request for comment.

Why did the government create the ban?

Concerns about national security stem from worries that ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, has access to American data and is sharing it with the Chinese government.

In 2020, Trump issued an executive order regarding TikTok. As part of the order, Trump tried to ban TikTok in the U.S. and prohibit any transactions with the company, according to the Trump White House archival website. However, this ban never went into place.

In 2021, Biden revoked Trump’s proposed ban and issued a new executive order regarding ByteDance, which said that the company “continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States,” a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit court opinion states. In 2022, Biden signed a bill that prohibited the use of TikTok on government devices.

How many Americans use TikTok?

There are over 170 million TikTok users based the U.S., an app spokesperson told USA TODAY last month.

At least a third of U.S. adults use TikTok, according to a November report by the Pew Research Center, with at least 59% of them being under 30. The center reported that 95% of adult users say their primary use of the app is entertainment.

How many US TikTok employees are there?

TikTok has around 7,000 U.S. employees, according to Reuters. It is uncertain what will happen to those jobs if a U.S. ban were to go into effect.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media application known for its short-form videos. Users can create, post and interact with videos on the app. TikTok is popular for its scrolling algorithm and allows users to post videos between three seconds and 10 minutes long. Users may add different filters, backgrounds, music and stickers to their videos.

Contributing: Maureen Groppe and Karissa Waddick

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

Anthony Robledo covers national trending news for USA TODAY. Follow him on X and Instagram @anthonyarobledo or email him at arobledo@usatoday.com

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