What you should know as the ban looms in a week

The Supreme Court heard two and a half hours on Friday about whether TikTok can be banned in the US in less than a week. In the end, the judges appeared ready to allow the U.S. government to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the company or go bankrupt.

Last spring, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the popular social media platform or face a ban on national security grounds. The social media giant wants to delay enforcement of the law, scheduled for January 19, which they say violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection, which prevents government restrictions on free speech.

If the ban goes into effect on Sunday, Apple and Google would no longer be able to offer TikTok for download to new users, but existing users would still be able to access the app. The US government and TikTok agree that the app would deteriorate over time and eventually become unusable because companies would no longer be able to provide support services.

President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to take office on January 20, just one day after the ban takes effect. In late December, Trump asked the court to delay the Jan. 19 deadline to allow his new administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the issues at issue in this case.”

More:What to know about RedNote, the app Americans will download in the event of a TikTok ban

What will determine the SCOTUS decision?

If SCOTUS upholds the legislation, ByteDance will have until Sunday to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations.

During Friday’s hearing, Justice Samuel Alito asked whether the court could temporarily block or administratively stop the law.

U.S. Attorney General Elizabeth Prelogar argued for the Biden administration’s defense of the law and advised against a temporary ban unless TikTok was likely to win based on its claim of a First Amendment right to distribute its content. As for an administrative stay, Prelogar said she would let the judges decide whether they had enough time to decide the case.

When will SCOTUS make its decision?

SCOTUS could release its decision at any time. The court does not have to publish a decision by a specific date.

How would the TikTok ban affect users?

If ByteDance doesn’t sell TikTok by January 19, the platform will be banned in the US. This means it will become illegal for US internet hosting services and app stores to distribute TikTok.

TikTok users who have already downloaded the app on mobile devices will still have access to it, but will not be able to update the app as it will likely become unusable over time. The TikTok website will no longer be available on US-based internet hosting services.

Is there a way to get around the TikTok ban?

Exactly how the ban will be implemented is uncertain, but content creators are using the time until January 19 to educate other users about virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow online users to mask their location. If a user uses a VPN to set their location outside of the US, the user could theoretically access TikTok.

However, there are some cases where VPNs would not work. Dan York, a senior adviser at the Internet Society, said popular VPNs could be blocked and using a location abroad wouldn’t work. Additionally, using a VPN can result in slower or unreliable connections, he said.

York also recommended users do thorough research before using VPNs, as there are malicious companies that may want to take advantage of users looking to use a VPN for the first time.

Are there any interested parties?

Yes. Project Liberty, an organization led by billionaire Frank McCourt, announced last week that it had made a formal offer to ByteDance to purchase TikTok’s U.S. assets. Tomicah Tillemann, president of Project Liberty, said in a statement that the organization would not publicly disclose the offering amount.

McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced last month that Project Liberty had received verbal commitments of up to $20 billion for the purchase. “Shark Tank” host and investor Kevin O’Leary announced last week that he would be joining Project Liberty as part of the purchase plan.

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