TikTok Banned In The US Starting January 19, 2025, Users Are Threatened With Loss Of Access

JAKARTA TikTok users in the United States (US) only have a few weeks to enjoy this ByteDance-owned app before the official ban takes effect on January 19, 2025.

The decision comes after a US appeals court upheld a law forcing TikTok to separate itself from its parent company in China, ByteDance, or face a ban on operating in the country.

Reporting from CNN International, this ban is a major blow to TikTok, which has more than 170 million users in the US. Under app rules, app stores like Apple and Google can be subject to severe fines if they continue to provide TikTok after the deadline, unless the app is sold to other parties.

Meanwhile, users who have downloaded TikTok may still be able to use the app for a while, but without an update. In the long term, this can make the app ineffective or even unusable.

TikTok said it would take the case to the US Supreme Court. "The Supreme Court has a long history of protecting the right of Americans to speak freely, and we hope they will maintain this principle on this important constitutional issue," said TikTok spokesman Michael Hughes.

TikTok also insists it has no intention of separating itself from ByteDance. "The ban on TikTok, if not prevented, will silence the voices of more than 170 million people in the United States and around the world on January 19, 2025," Hughes added.

Although the deadline is getting closer, several options are still available to prevent this ban. One of them is intervention from President-elect Donald Trump after he officially took office.

President Joe Biden also has the authority to extend the deadline to 90 days, although until now there has been no indication that he will.

The ban on TikTok in the US sparked heated debate over privacy, free speech, and geopolitical relations between the US and China. The final decision of the case will be one of the important moments in the history of global social media platform regulation.