Why is TikTok getting banned? What Time Will The TikTok Ban Start In The U.S. The countdown is on for TikTok in the U.S.

Why is TikTok getting banned? TikTok is set to be banned Sunday

• After months of uncertainty, it looks like TikTok will finally be banned this weekend. If you’re one of the 170 million people in the U.S. who use TikTok, you might be wondering when the ban will happen and if the app will still be available on Sunday.

New York –The countdown is on for TikTok in the U.S.

A new law that could force TikTok to find a new owner outside of China, or face a ban, is set to start on Sunday. But it looks unlikely that the company will be able to complete a sale before the deadline.

This means that 170 million Americans who use TikTok for entertainment, news, socializing, or even running their businesses might lose access to the app. TikTok has become a serious competitor to major social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed with the law, bringing the potential ban one step closer. TikTok has said that without quick action from the Biden administration, it will shut down on Sunday.

With less than two days left, there’s still a lot of uncertainty. Will President Biden’s team step in? It doesn’t seem likely. Will President Trump, who’s about to be inaugurated, try to intervene? It’s possible, given who’s expected at his inauguration.

Here’s what we know, and what’s still unclear, as the deadline for the ban gets closer.

Will my app disappear?

TikTok raised the stakes on Friday night, warning that it would shut down by Sunday unless it got clear and firm assurances from the government.

“The statements from the Biden White House and the Department of Justice today didn’t provide the clarity and security needed to ensure that TikTok can continue running for the 170 million Americans who use it,” TikTok said.

Unless the Biden administration steps in quickly with a clear statement reassuring key service providers that TikTok won’t be forced off the platform, the app will have to shut down on January 19.

Experts had predicted that TikTok could be removed from the Apple and Google app stores on Sunday, with both companies potentially facing fines for keeping TikTok available after the deadline. If this happens, anyone who doesn’t already have the app on their phone won’t be able to download it, but current users could still use it for a while. However, without updates, the app might become buggy or stop working eventually.

Why does Congress want to ban TikTok?

U.S. officials have raised concerns that TikTok could be a national security threat because the Chinese government might use the app to spy on Americans or influence public opinion by controlling what content is seen. The worry is that China’s national security laws require companies to cooperate with government intelligence efforts.

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned last year that the Chinese government could use TikTok to access data from American users’ devices.In April 2024, when Congress discussed a law to either sell or ban the app, Rep. Michael McCaul from Texas compared TikTok to a “spy balloon” in people’s phones. Sen. Chris Coons from Delaware said that classified briefings revealed how vast amounts of data are being collected and shared in ways that aren’t in line with U.S. security interests.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri explained that TikTok could track your location, read your messages, and even track your keystrokes and phone records. If the Chinese government gets access to that information, he warned it’s not just a national security risk—it’s also a personal security issue.To address these concerns, TikTok launched “Project Texas” in 2022 to store American users’ data on U.S. servers. However, the Justice Department argued that this plan wasn’t enough because some data was still being sent to China.

Even though the law to sell or ban TikTok passed with bipartisan support, some lawmakers, like Republican Sen. Rand Paul, have criticized the move. He believes the ban is based more on accusations than solid proof. He pointed out that TikTok has never been legally proven to share data with the Chinese government.Interestingly, even Trump, who previously tried to ban TikTok during his first term, now agrees with the security concerns. Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, acknowledged that the Trump administration played a key role in highlighting the potential risks.

Is a sale still possible?

Even if TikTok is banned, there’s still a chance that selling the app to a non-Chinese owner could bring it back to U.S. users.A group led by billionaire Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with investor Kevin O’Leary (known from “Shark Tank”), made an official offer to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, earlier this month. The group wants to purchase TikTok’s U.S. assets but without the app’s popular algorithm — which China has made clear it won’t allow to be sold. They aim to rebuild the app with a more transparent feed and more control for users over their data.

There have also been reports that Chinese officials have considered selling TikTok to Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), thinking he might be the most favorable American owner. However, neither Musk nor ByteDance have commented on these discussions, and TikTok called the reports “pure fiction.”

How much is TikTok worth?

TikTok’s U.S. assets, excluding the algorithm, are estimated to be worth between $40 billion and $50 billion, according to analyst Dan Ives from Wedbush Securities.

However, since the algorithm is a key part of TikTok’s value, it’s hard to put an exact price on the company.McCourt’s group hasn’t disclosed how much they offered for the app, but the billionaire previously mentioned he valued the U.S. assets at around $20 billion.