For many, TikTok is a way to wind down after a hard day’s work and scroll through a variety of forms of entertainment. The app has also become a platform where people can express themselves, share a laugh, and obtain current news. Through this short form content, a strong, long-term community has been built.
However, on January 19th, 2025, this community was broken apart when TikTok was banned. After years of battle, the war on whether or not to ban TikTok seemed to come to a conclusion after the U.S. government initiated a nation-wide ban. This was due to the government’s concern of TikTok collecting and storing user data. U.S. officials stated that Chinese national security laws require social media organizations, like TikTok, to gather intelligence for cooperation purposes. Additionally, it’s been discovered that the Chinese government could compromise Americans’ devices through the software. U.S. officials argue that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans and also covertly influence them.
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to uphold the federal ban for national security reasons on January 12th, TikTok was once again available for Americans 12 hours later. President Donald Trump, who was in place to take office on the 20th, mandated an executive order that allowed the law to not be enforced for now. However, this does not mean that it is overturned as the ban will return on April 5th. The reason behind this decision to delay the ban 75 days is to give time to find a resolution that saves a platform used by 170 million Americans while also ensuring national security.
Since the overturning of the ban, many people have noticed that the app was not initially available again in the App Store. This is due to the fact that, under federal law, it is still technically illegal for companies, like the App Store, to distribute and update it, despite Trump saying it’s alright to ignore the law.
The owner of TikTok, Bytedance, has long insisted that it is not for sale; however, with the institution of a new president, this could potentially change. Trump has said that when he signed the executive order, many rich people signaled their interest in purchasing TikTok. Some potential buyers could be wealthiest man in the world Elon Musk, YouTuber MrBeast, and Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary. Trump could also look to another solution in joint-ownership. Half U.S. ownership could sway the government to permit TikTok to operate in the U.S.