TikTok banned: Wildly addictive app goes dark as fans mourn. Will Trump save it?
USA Today3 days
TikTok Goes Dark in US as Federal Ban Takes Effect
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Above: An illustration photo shows a banned TikTok logo displayed on a smartphone in Suqian, China, on Jan. 15, 2025. Image copyright: Costfoto/Contributor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Facts
TikTok ceased operations in the US on Saturday night, hours before a federal ban was set to take effect. More than 170M American app users were met with a message that said: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now."
The ban stems from a law passed by Congress in April 2024 that mandated TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or face a complete shutdown due to concerns about data privacy and potential Chinese government influence.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
As the First Amendment protects TikTok, Congress' attempt to ban the platform is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech that destroys a vital platform for expression and commerce for over 170M Americans without concrete evidence of security threats. It's unfortunate that TikTok had to shut down not for the speech shared on the platform but because of anti-China hysteria stirred up to meet a political agenda.
Pro-establishment narrative
TikTok poses a significant national security risk through its Chinese ownership. It potentially gives the Chinese Communist Party a powerful tool for harassment, recruitment, and espionage. The app also allows the PRC government access to unprecedented amounts of sensitive user data and the manipulation of content algorithms to influence American public opinion. To protect national interests, the app must be either sold to a trusted US company or shut down.
