There’s just a week left until TikTok’s increasingly likely US ban goes into effect, and you can expect non-stop coverage until then as 170 million American users wonder what happens next. The mood music seems to have turned against TikTok’s arguments for an exit, but nothing is certain yet. What Is What is certain is that in the event of a ban, all 170 million users should delete the app on their iPhones and Android devices, with serious consequences if they fail to do so.

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What exactly will happen when the ban begins is still unclear. What we Do We know that Apple and Google will likely remove the app from the Play Store and App Store immediately. This is the simplest and most immediate measure and would prevent new users from getting to the app – the half of America that is not yet using the platform, as ByteDance points out. Unlike ISP blocks in other countries that have banned TikTok and other social media apps, it is unlikely, but not impossible, that traffic will be blocked, forcing users to mask their locations through VPNs, like us have seen it with states restricting access to porn.

Even if VPNs are used, they won’t help you get around the App Store problem. As ESET’s Jake Moore says: “Although a VPN may work to access the app, Apple (and Google) do not allow updates or new downloads from US-mapped phones, even when using a VPN, as it is always still knows its original origin.” Country in which it was founded.”

However, the good news for TikTok users and content creators is that they will likely be able to continue using the app even after the ban. But you really shouldn’t – as hard as it may seem, to be safe, you should delete the app, even if legally it doesn’t look like this will be enforced. At least not yet. And there is a clear warning that missing updates will make the app unusable over time anyway. For example, there are no new updates to match new operating system versions.

There is also the question of user data and where it goes after a ban. Moore warns: “When it comes to TikTok, the question that concerns many politicians and skeptics is where this data goes.” Specifically: Will all this information ultimately be accessed by the Chinese state? TikTok automatically collects extensive amounts of data from its users, including internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories. So the fact that the US doesn’t want this information in their country is not without reason.”

The danger is that removing TikTok from the app stores will also cause it to stop updating. In the last month alone, five new versions of the app have been released, which are automatically downloaded and installed on the over one billion phones that run it. And while some of these updates bring new features, “most just fix bugs for a better experience.” TikTok, like any popular app on your phone, has experienced a number of security issues that have resulted in new updates being released. Having 170 million phones running an app that can’t be updated poses a major security risk. You can imagine how tempting a honeypot suddenly becomes to attackers and how valuable an exploitable TikTok vulnerability would become.

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I have previously warned users that social engineering attacks around saving TikTok accounts and data are now ramping up, pushing users to click on unsafe links or download malicious attachments, updates and apps. While it’s unlikely that Apple and Google will be forced to remove apps from devices, if it becomes a security risk they can’t fix, that could change.

It is possible that a ban will be short-lived or not occur at all. But on the basis of that it does Although it may be difficult, you must put your security and privacy first and delete the app. “Once it is removed from app stores, no further security patches will be provided,” says ESET’s Moore. “This means that security weakens over time and vulnerabilities will inevitably be exploited and phones running older versions of the app will be targeted en masse. It will be a direct honeypot for attackers looking to exploit a potentially insecure window into many phones in the US.”