What TikTok could look like for users in the US — and around the world — if it goes dark

The US Supreme Court upheld a ban on social media platform TikTok on Friday. Whether the ban will be implemented remains uncertain, but the Chinese-owned platform is preparing to shut down on Sunday — and Americans who use the app may start to notice some changes.

The outgoing Biden administration has indicated that it will allow US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, to make a decision on implementing the ban. President Joe Biden signed the ban into law last year, citing national security concerns.

Under this law, TikTok cannot continue to operate in the United States unless it is sold. Trump did Show willingness To save the social media platform. His new national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Thursday that Trump would intervene if the ban was upheld.

NBC News Quoted A Biden official said that “Americans should not expect to suddenly see a TikTok ban on Sunday,” and that the administration is looking for a way to implement the law without the app becoming opaque.

So what might TikTok’s 170 million US users see on Sunday when the ban begins? Although they won’t have to delete the app, it may become increasingly unusable, according to experts who spoke with CBC News.

Carmi Levy, a technology analyst in London, Ontario, expects “more failure than just a big explosion. But the bottom line is, if you live in the United States, the experience is going to be much worse over time than it is now.” now.”

Here’s what could happen:

• Removal from app stores: The US will force Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores so US users can’t download it. Lawmakers told the tech giants To be prepared For such a move again in December and they could be fined if they do not comply.
• Application updates will stop: US users who already have the app likely won’t be able to update it anymore. This means that bugs and glitches will not be fixed and new features will not be added, making it increasingly frustrating to use TikTok.
• Hackers can gain power: The lack of updates means there is no opportunity to fix security issues affecting the app, which may make users more vulnerable to hacks and cybersecurity breaches.
• Message from Tik Tok: If the ban is enforced, TikTok may show US users who already have the app a message informing them of the law. It may also provide them with an opportunity to download their personal data.

Toronto cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak has a different hypothesis. He believes TikTok users will be able to click on the app, “but the screen won’t load. It might just be a wheel that keeps scrolling, but it’ll probably be completely blank and it won’t do that.” “Be able to use the app at all.”

When India banned TikTok in 2020, along with dozens of other Chinese-made apps, the platform disappeared from the country’s app stores and a pop-up message told users that the company was “complying with Indian government directives.”

How will US users work around the ban?

What about solutions? US users may still be able to access the desktop version of the platform, but it has fewer features than the mobile app, if it will work at all. Some suggested they would scroll through TikTok Using a VPNor virtual private network, is a tool that allows you to hide your digital location.

But this may not be as easy as it seems. TikTok likely has other means of tracking a user’s location, such as using… Geolocation data From the individual’s phone. Kotak says the US government will likely put in place a mechanism that blocks access to TikTok’s IP addresses at all.

He added that users who circumvent the ban and are caught may be subject to financial penalties, but we do not know, because we do not know what kind of penalty this will actually be.

What happens if 170 million users disappear?

Creators recently told CBC News about TikTok’s disappearance It could mean for them. Once 170 million US users are gone, what will the TikTok feeds look like for Canadians and other users around the world?

“This is a global app, more than a billion users around the world. They also will be affected because American users of Tiktok make up a large audience for many global users outside the United States,” Levy said.

“Suddenly, remaining users in other countries may find that this app is no longer valuable once all Americans disappear or find another app to use.”

There are signs that TikTok, like other companies, is too Hoping to build a friendly relationship With the next administration. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will reportedly attend Trump’s meeting Opening on January 20 alongside other tech executives.