TikTok Will Stop Updating in the U.S. on January 19

The fate of TikTok and its 170 million American users will be determined this week. According to a law signed by Joe Biden in April 2024, the social network will be banned in the U.S. unless ByteDance sells its American business by January 19.

The deadline could be extended by 90 days, provided TikTok "achieves significant results regarding the sale of the business." Washington argues that TikTok poses a "national security threat," as China could use the social network to gain access to personal data of U.S. users. John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, stated that this "should concern every American." He emphasized, "We do not know what ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party could do with the information collected from the app users." Moreover, authorities are worried that TikTok could utilize its recommendation algorithm to spread misinformation.